Unforeseen Consequences
by Nan Smith
Summary: One possible consequence of the New Kryptonian invasion was never explored in the series. But Bureau 39 thought of it...


Unforeseen Consequences   
By Nan Smith (deimos1@earthlink.net)   
Rated: PG   
Submitted: October 2001  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: The familiar characters and scenes in this   
story are the property of DC Comics, Warner Bros. December   
3rd Productions and whoever else may legally claim them,   
and no infringement on their copyright is intended but the   
new characters and the story itself are mine.  
  
This story is part of the "Dagger" series, beginning with   
"Dagger of the Mind". It consists of: Dagger of the Mind,   
Dagger's Edge, Assassin's Dagger, Doppelganger, Blind Man's   
Bluff, Countdown, Priorities, Vanishing Act, Charade,   
Heritage and now, Unforeseen Consequences.  
  
This story takes place approximately three weeks following   
Heritage. A scene I saw in one of episodes of the Lex Files   
trilogy, where Lois dreams that she's trying to interview   
Queen Elizabeth and the Pope while super-babies are   
increasing in number geometrically, was part of the   
inspiration for one of the subplots. I've had the idea that   
the A-plot is based on in mind since before LAFF 2000. It   
only seemed to me to be a logical extension from events in   
the series. Another author also picked up on the point for   
one of his stories, however, as you will see when you read   
it, this is considerably different from his idea. (I really   
didn't steal it, Shayne! Honest! g)  
  
Comments and criticism are invited.  
  
**********  
  
"You know," Lois said, "our Christmases are a lot different   
than the ones I had when I was a kid."  
  
Clark lifted an eyebrow at her. "Is that a good thing or a   
bad thing?"  
  
"Just about anything would have been an improvement," Lois   
said, with a tiny grin, "but, that's not what I meant.   
Christmas with my parents isn't even an ordeal anymore, and   
I think it all began to happen when I met you. Are you sure   
you're not Santa Claus in disguise?"  
  
Clark stroked an imaginary beard. "You've guessed my   
secret, oh mighty reporter. I should have known I could   
never keep my identity secret from you, forever. Of   
course," he added, "that makes you Mrs. Claus."  
  
Lois giggled. "I think I'd rather stay Mrs. Superman," she   
said. "He's got a better figure than old Santa."  
  
"And you've definitely got a better one than Mrs. Claus,"   
Clark murmured, bending down to kiss her.  
  
The elevator doors opened at that moment. Perry's voice   
said, dryly, "I see you two are still conscientiously   
giving the bullpen its daily show."  
  
Clark straightened up with a faint smile, but he made no   
comment as he followed Lois out into the newsroom. He heard   
Jimmy's murmur of "Some things never change," and saw his   
boss grin in acknowledgement of this sally.  
  
Lois hung up her coat and continued on to her workstation   
to drop her shoulder bag onto the floor and kick it under   
the desk. Clark stopped to speak to Perry. "Chief, we'll be   
leaving a little early this afternoon. Lois has an   
appointment at her doctor's office and I want to be there   
with her."  
  
Perry frowned. "Is everything all right?"  
  
"Sure," Clark assured him. "She's scheduled for a sonogram,   
and I don't want to miss it."  
  
"Oh." Perry grinned. "Don't blame you. I wish they'd had   
'em when Alice and I were having kids." He raised his   
voice. "Okay, everybody, Conference Room Two in five   
minutes!"  
  
**********  
  
Lois glanced up from her computer screen as Clark entered   
the newsroom. It was just past two and the predictable so-  
called "morning sickness" that had been plaguing her for   
several weeks was beginning to make itself known. The print   
on the monitor had the unpleasant effect of blurring before   
her eyes whenever a wave of the nausea hit her, which it   
had been doing with more severity this time than it ever   
had with her three previous pregnancies. She closed them   
and rubbed her temples, striving to take deep breaths until   
it passed.  
  
"Are you okay, honey?" Clark's voice asked, softly.  
  
She opened her eyes and nodded, smiling with an effort.   
"It's just the same old stuff," she said.  
  
Clark rested his hands on her shoulders and began to   
massage her tense neck and shoulder muscles. Lois closed   
her eyes in relief. "That feels better."  
  
"I think you should mention this to Dr. Klein, " Clark   
said. "You've never had nausea this bad before."  
  
"Every pregnancy is different," she reminded him. "And, as   
much as I'd like to pretend differently, I am forty. It's   
bound to be harder on me this time."  
  
"Still, he ought to know," Clark insisted, gently. "If he   
knew, he might be able to help."  
  
Lois sighed. Even after eleven years of marriage, Clark   
still did his best to play mother hen whenever he was   
worried about her. "All right, I'll mention it this   
afternoon. Happy, now?"  
  
"I will be when you talk to him." His large hands never   
ceased their massage. "After all, this is my wife and baby   
that we're talking about here."  
  
Lois closed her eyes again and leaned back into the   
massage, feeling the nausea recede. "That helps a lot," she   
said. "Thanks."  
  
"Any time," he said.  
  
"If you're giving those away free, I'll take one," the   
voice of Candy Valenzuela, the society columnist, purred   
throatily.  
  
Lois opened her eyes. Candy was standing across from her   
desk, smiling her usual enigmatic smile and clad in an   
outfit that was probably technically legal, but left very   
little to the imagination.  
  
"I only give these to special clients," Clark said in his   
unruffled way. "Did you need something, Candy?"  
  
The woman was probably five years older than Clark, Lois   
thought, not for the first time, but she hid it well. She   
saw Candy's gaze slide from Clark's face, down his body to   
his shoes and back up. She gave a wistful little smile.   
"Well, yes, but I guess I'll have to settle for passing   
along the tickets to the Christmas Charity Ball." She set   
the items on Lois's desk and glanced lingeringly once more   
at Clark, then smiled and walked away, her shapely hips   
well outlined in the tight, short dress she wore. Lois   
found herself gritting her teeth.  
  
Clark glanced at her. "Don't worry, honey," he said,   
quietly. "There's only one woman in this room that I'm   
interested in."  
  
She found herself relaxing. "I know. I just wish women like   
Candy had enough sense to see it."  
  
"She'll figure it out if she doesn't know already," Clark   
said. "I don't wear my wedding ring for a decoration."  
  
Lois glanced down at the little pooch that she had already   
developed in her middle. "She probably thinks I'm letting   
myself go. I'm not even three months along and my clothes   
are already getting too tight."  
  
"Honey, you've had three children," Clark said. "It would   
only make sense that you'd start to show a little sooner   
than the first time. You haven't let yourself go. If I   
didn't know better, I'd never guess you were anywhere near   
forty."  
  
"Really?" Lois brightened. "You're awfully good for my   
ego."  
  
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm only saying   
it because it's true."  
  
"Lois, Clark, how about that piece on the redevelopment   
plan for the south side?" Perry's voice broke through their   
conversation. "We've got a deadline!"  
  
"I'm waiting for a call back on that, Chief," Lois said. "I   
need the answers to some questions about the whole   
project."  
  
"Well, I need it in half an hour," Perry said, already   
headed for his next victim.  
  
"I'll do my best," Lois said.  
  
Kelly passed her desk, carrying a donut box. She paused and   
pulled the lid open, displaying its contents. "Would you   
like one, Ms. Lane?"  
  
Lois felt the nausea that had partially subsided with   
Clark's neck rub, rise in her throat. She clapped a hand   
over her mouth.  
  
"Oops." The redheaded girl retreated quickly. "Sorry."  
  
Lois stumbled to her feet and made a beeline for the   
ladies' room.  
  
**********  
  
Clark barely restrained the temptation to use his x-ray   
vision to check on Lois as she vanished through the door of   
the ladies' room. He would never have admitted it to her,   
but the unusually difficult time she was having with this   
pregnancy was worrying him a good deal. None of the other   
three had been this hard for her. Jimmy had been born four   
years previously, when she had been thirty-six, and she had   
had very little in the way of difficulties. This time,   
everything seemed to be the opposite. Even the fact that   
Dr. Klein had assured him that he was watching her   
carefully because her age put her into the increased-risk   
category failed to comfort him. He had every confidence in   
Bernie Klein, but that wouldn't stop him from fretting   
until he knew everything was all right.  
  
"Is she okay?" Jimmy paused beside him, glancing at the   
door through which Lois had disappeared.  
  
"I don't know." Clark bit his lip. "I'm worried, Jimmy.   
She's never had it this bad before."  
  
The phone on Lois's desk shrilled at that moment, and Clark   
answered it. It was Lois's contact with the information   
she'd been waiting for. Clark jotted down the relevant   
details, thanked the man and hung up. Lois still hadn't   
returned. He made up his mind. "Excuse me, Jim. Kelly!"  
  
The young woman turned her head at his call. "Yes, Mr.   
Kent?"  
  
"Could you--um--could you go in there and see if she's all   
right?" He gestured toward the ladies' room.  
  
"Sure, Mr. Kent."  
  
**********  
  
Lois washed her face in cold water and rinsed out her mouth   
a second time. As she was drying her face, the door opened   
and Kelly, the office gofer, entered. The redheaded girl   
looked subdued.  
  
"Are you all right, Ms. Lane? Mr. Kent's worried about   
you."  
  
Lois nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"I'm really sorry. I didn't think donuts--"  
  
Lois held up a hand. "Please don't talk about food."  
  
"Sorry." Kelly's face turned a bright red as she realized   
she'd nearly made the same mistake again. "Are you feeling   
better?"  
  
"Well, let's say there's nothing more for me to bring back   
up, so in that sense, I suppose I am." Lois straightened   
up. "I better get back out there. Perry's waiting for that   
article."  
  
**********  
  
A little over an hour later, Clark and Lois were in the   
Jeep, headed for the Metropolis Women's Hospital, where Dr.   
Klein had arranged for the sonogram to be done. It had   
apparently surprised the administrators of the   
establishment that the noted researcher, Bernard Klein, had   
decided to resume a limited medical practice in obstetrics   
some ten years ago, but since his presence on the staff   
gave a certain amount of prestige to their organization, no   
one had protested the arrangement.  
  
"I wonder if Dr. Klein will be able to tell, yet, if it's a   
boy or girl," Lois said. "Can you tell at ten weeks?"  
  
"I have no idea," Clark said. "I could take a peek and find   
out, if you want me to."  
  
Lois shook her head. "I don't really want to know," she   
said. "If I have to go through labor again, I want a nice   
surprise at the end."  
  
"I guess I can't argue with that," Clark said. "Have you   
been drinking water like you were supposed to?"  
  
Lois nodded. "What I could hold down. Just don't take the   
Jeep over any bumps in the road, okay?"  
  
Clark grinned. "I'll do my best," he assured her. "How's   
the stomach?"  
  
"Let's just not talk about that," Lois said, a trifle   
grimly. "I'm trying to ignore it."  
  
"Okay. Just be sure you mention it to Dr. Klein."  
  
"Clark, you're nagging."  
  
"Sorry." Clark pulled the Jeep into the parking lot and   
maneuvered into a parking space. "We're right on time. Are   
you ready?"  
  
"I guess," Lois said. "I don't know why Dr. Klein was so   
determined to do this now."  
  
"He wondered if our dates were a little off," Clark said,   
patiently. "And since our norm seems to be about two weeks   
longer than the normal pregnancy, he wants to be sure. He   
told you that."  
  
"I know, I know," Lois grumbled. "He doesn't have to walk   
around feeling as if he's going to burst."  
  
She saw her husband grin again. "It's not funny!"  
  
"I know," Clark said. "I sympathize, honey, I really do.   
There's just something about the way you do that. I like to   
hear you grumble. It's cute."  
  
Lois shook her head as she opened the door, but she was   
smiling. "It must be love," she remarked. "Only a guy in   
love would think his wife's complaining was cute."  
  
"Can't help it," Clark said. He got out and shut his door.   
"Shall we go and get this over with?"  
  
**********  
  
"Come on, Jimmy," Jim Olsen said. "We're going to pick up   
Marta and Jonny. Feel like an afternoon snack?"  
  
"Sure!" Jimmy Kent agreed, happily. "Where's Mommy?"  
  
"Your daddy took her to see Dr. Klein," Jim told him.   
"We're going to wait for them with your Aunt Sandi. She   
said she was picking up pizza for you guys."  
  
"Okay," Jimmy agreed. He confidently took Jim Olsen's hand   
and, in the manner of four-year-old boys, half-walked,   
half-trotted out of the Planet's day care center. "Can I   
punch the elevator button?"  
  
"Sure," Jim said, reflecting that his godson was quite a   
talker--a characteristic he undoubtedly got from Lois. Of   
all the children, except for CJ, Jimmy looked most like his   
father, but Jim could see Lois in him in many subtle ways.   
CJ, on the other hand, was a quiet, good-looking boy,   
friendly and intelligent as were all the Kent kids, but Jim   
had a pretty strong suspicion about his real origins. The   
fact was, he knew Clark had no other blood relatives on   
Earth other than his children, so the official explanation   
that CJ was the child of one of Clark's distant cousins was   
obviously untrue. However, there had been the story of the   
Superman clone, ten years before--the one no one could   
find. Jim had a pretty good idea where that clone was, but   
he wasn't going to try to prove it. If CJ was the Superman   
clone, Jim was ready to let the fact die an anonymous   
death. It wasn't important, and he wasn't about to try to   
bring it to light. The only way it might possibly matter   
was if the knowledge ever came to the ears of Luthor or   
*his* clone. As for the fact that Clark and Lois hadn't   
told him; they'd probably figured he'd work it out for   
himself, as he had Clark's secret identity. It didn't   
bother him in the least.  
  
Jimmy had pressed the call button and a moment later, the   
elevator doors opened to reveal young Jimmy's other   
godfather. Perry White grinned at the sight of Jimmy Kent   
firmly gripping his namesake's hand. "Hi there, sport."  
  
"Hi, Uncle Perry. Can I push the down button?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
The button had already been pushed, Jim noted, but that   
didn't deter Jimmy, who proceeded to give it a firm jab.   
The elevator doors slid quietly shut and they moved gently   
downward to the first floor.  
  
Two people were waiting to board and Jim and Perry stepped   
back to let them on. One was a tall man and the other a   
girl of about ten. Jim might not have noticed her if it   
hadn't been for the look on her face. She was a thin child   
with big blue eyes and hair of an almost strawberry blond,   
but her expression said it all. The child was frightened.  
  
Jim took a second look at her companion. He was well   
dressed, unlike the girl, and the coat, and the hat pulled   
down low over his face made it impossible to see much of   
what he really looked like. Jim hesitated. He had no real   
reason, but something felt wrong about this situation.  
  
He gave the girl a smile. "Hi."  
  
She didn't smile. Instead, she shrank backward against the   
wall. Jim frowned slightly. If she was afraid of him,   
wouldn't she be more likely to move closer to her--what?   
Father? Brother? If that was what he was.  
  
The elevator was moving slowly downward toward the   
underground parking garage and finally came to a stop. The   
door slid open and the oddly matched couple started to   
exit. The girl began to cry. Jim took his nerve in both   
hands and stepped forward. "Excuse me, sir," he said.   
"What's wrong with the little girl?"  
  
The man glanced at him. "Nothing," he said.  
  
Perry frowned. He, too, took a step forward. "Who is she?"   
he asked.  
  
"My niece," the other man replied. "What business is it of   
yours?"  
  
Jim bent slightly, trying to look as non-threatening as   
possible. "Is this man your uncle, honey?"  
  
A headshake.  
  
Perry frowned. "If I'm wrong, I apologize in advance," he   
said, slowly, "but I think I better call Security."  
  
The taller man took a step backwards. "This is none of your   
business. She has a dental appointment and she's afraid of   
the dentist."  
  
"In that case," Perry said, "you won't mind showing me your   
identification. I don't think I've ever seen you around   
here before."  
  
The girl moved unexpectedly, jerked her arm from the grip   
of her companion, ducked past the three men and ran.  
  
**********  
  
"Can we get this over fast?" Lois asked as the nurse   
finished arranging her as comfortably as possible on the   
padded table.  
  
Clark said nothing. Lying flat on her back, the slight   
bulge in Lois's abdomen almost disappeared. The baby had to   
be tiny, he thought. How Dr. Klein expected to determine   
the actual gestational age was a mystery to him.  
  
Dr. Klein smiled slightly, as if he knew something they   
didn't, but that wasn't unusual. Clark cleared his throat.   
"Lois, you were going to mention something to Bernie?"  
  
She shot him an irritated glance. "When we're done, Clark."  
  
"Is there a problem, Lois?" Dr. Klein asked, mildly. "You   
know, I need all the information you can give me if I'm   
going to do a good job as your doctor." Clark had to work   
hard to keep his face straight. In the years since Bernie   
Klein had become their family doctor, he'd learned not to   
let Lois intimidate him, and had even acquired some skill   
in handling her outbursts. He had freely admitted to Clark,   
however, that dealing with her brought home to him how very   
super Superman had to be in order to be husband and partner   
to Lois Lane.  
  
"Yeah," Lois muttered, grudgingly. "I'm having a lot more   
morning sickness this time, and I get tired a lot easier. I   
told Clark it's probably because of my age--" She broke   
off, making a face at that. "He insisted I tell you anyway.   
Now, can you tell him to stop worrying?"  
  
Dr. Klein frowned a little. "No, I need to know these   
things. It probably doesn't mean much, but I'm going to   
want to do a few tests to be sure you aren't developing any   
unforeseen problems, Lois. Eclampsia is more common in   
pregnant women over thirty-five, for one thing, and this is   
your fourth child." He glanced reassuringly at her. "It's   
most likely nothing, as you said, but I need to make   
certain." He turned to the technician who had just entered   
the cubicle. "We're all ready Bonnie."  
  
The next few minutes were taken up as Bonnie smeared the   
conductive jelly on Lois's abdomen and located the correct   
spot to place the hand unit. Numerous bleeps, thumps,   
gurgles and a familiar swishing sound filled the room.   
Clark couldn't interpret them, but he watched in silence as   
the doctor and the technician peered at the screen. Dr.   
Klein frowned. "Bonnie, take a look at this."  
  
The woman leaned forward to examine what Dr. Klein had   
indicated. After a moment, she turned, smeared more jelly   
on Lois's abdomen and repositioned her sensor. Again, the   
two medical personnel examined the screen.  
  
"What is it?" Clark asked, unable to bear the suspense. It   
was evident to him that Dr. Klein and Bonnie had seen   
something unusual.  
  
"Shh." Klein glanced at Lois. "Bonnie, move it a little to   
the right..."  
  
Clark reached over to take Lois's hand. She gripped his   
fingers hard enough to cut off the blood supply if he had   
been a normal man.  
  
"I think..." Bernie Klein mumbled under his breath. "To the   
left, just about an inch...oh boy!" He drew back suddenly.   
"Ms. Green, can you find me Dr. Matthews? I'd like a second   
opinion here."  
  
The nurse nodded and departed quickly. Clark felt Lois's   
hand clamp down even harder on his.  
  
"Bernie," he said. "What is it?"  
  
Bernie looked around at him. "I don't want to say just yet-  
-I'd like Paul Matthews to check me on this." He appeared   
to become aware of their sudden apprehension. "Oh, I'm   
sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's nothing to worry   
about--yet, anyway."  
  
That could hardly be considered reassuring, Clark thought,   
but whatever Bernie had seen didn't appear to be   
immediately dangerous, anyway. He gave Lois's hand what he   
hoped was a comforting squeeze.  
  
Ms. Green re-entered the room, and a moment later a   
slender, blond man entered. "You needed me, Bernie?"  
  
Dr. Klein nodded. "I need a second opinion, Paul. These are   
Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Lois, Clark, this is Dr. Matthews. Could   
you take a look at this, Paul?"  
  
"Sure." The blond doctor moved to the screen and Bonnie   
called up several images of their earlier examination.   
Matthews glanced at the technician. "Bonnie, let me see a   
live view from the left side, please..."  
  
The three medical personnel lapsed into unintelligible   
jargon for a moment as the scene on the monitor shifted   
back and forth. Finally, Matthews nodded. "No question of   
it, Bernie."  
  
Klein nodded, looking a little stunned. "Thanks. I owe you   
one, Paul." He turned back to his patient as Matthews left   
the room. "Um, we have a small problem..."  
  
**********  
  
"What th--!" Perry's exclamation was broken off as the   
stranger pushed him aside and bolted out of the elevator.   
He didn't pause to look for the girl, but headed straight   
toward the exit. The echoes of the child's footsteps were   
retreating, but Jim could see no sign of her. Her companion   
disappeared out the car entrance and was gone.  
  
"Jimmy, call Security," Perry said. "Have them seal off the   
garage. I knew something wasn't right."  
  
"I'm way ahead of you, Chief." Jim picked up the emergency   
phone, glancing at Jimmy Kent, who was watching the scene,   
wide-eyed. "Stay there, pal. We're going to have a little   
delay."  
  
Jimmy nodded. "Was that a bad man?" he asked.  
  
"I'd say so," Perry said, grimly.  
  
Jimmy was looking around the dimly lit area. "She's really   
scared," he said. "She's hiding in one of the cars."  
  
There was a click as someone picked up the receiver at the   
other end. "Security."  
  
Jim met Perry's gaze for a second, but he said, "This is   
James Olsen. We have an emergency down in the parking   
garage...."  
  
It took Security only a few minutes to seal off the garage,   
but Perry and Jim were more interested in the statement   
made by young Jimmy Kent.  
  
"What do you mean, she's hiding in one of the cars?" Perry   
asked.  
  
"I can hear her," Jimmy explained. "In here." He touched   
his forehead. "She's awful scared."  
  
Jim glanced at Perry. His boss was looking pensive.   
Finally, he said, "You know, Jim, sometimes keeping a   
secret is pretty hard."  
  
"I know what you mean," Jim said. He felt his lips twitch.   
"Good thing we were the only ones that heard that. But how   
could Jimmy *hear* her?"  
  
"Well...you-know-who is telepathic. His kids might be,   
too."  
  
"Yeah." Jim knelt down in front of the little boy. "Jimmy,   
do you know where she is?"  
  
Jimmy appeared uncertain. "Kinda," he said.  
  
"Can you take us to her?"  
  
"Maybe," Jimmy said. "She can't hear me. She might run."  
  
"Jimmy, she's going to get hurt if no one finds her," Perry   
said. "Can you try?"  
  
The little boy nodded. "Okay."  
  
Jim stood up and took one of his hands, and Perry took the   
other. Together, they let Jimmy lead them slowly through   
the dimly lit parking area.  
  
His steps were slow, but he hesitated only twice and   
gradually, he grew more certain of his direction. Finally,   
he stopped and pointed. "She's in that blue car."  
  
"Are you sure?" Perry asked in a whisper.  
  
The child nodded his head vigorously. "She's very scared   
the bad man will find her."  
  
"We won't let him," Jim said. He glanced at his boss.   
"Let's split up. You take the right side and I'll take the   
left."  
  
Perry lifted a thumb and started toward the small, blue   
car. Jim pulled Jimmy with him. "C'mon, kid. Let's go help   
her."  
  
They approached the car as quietly as they could, but when   
Jim was less than three feet from the vehicle, the door was   
flung open and the child tumbled out, scrambled to her feet   
and tried to run. Jim snagged her by the arm. "Hey, wait!   
We're not going to hurt you!"  
  
She struggled desperately, but he hung on tightly. "It's   
all right! You're safe! We won't let him get you!"  
  
For a second she continued to struggle, and then the   
meaning of his words seemed to penetrate. The fight went   
out of her and she nearly collapsed against him.  
  
"Easy there," Jim said. He was careful not to let her go.   
"Are you okay?"  
  
Scared, blue eyes looked up at him from a thin, freckled   
face. Slowly, she nodded.  
  
Perry was hurrying around the car toward them, and she   
twisted her head around with a gasp of fright. The older   
man stopped. "It's all right," he said. "I won't hurt you."  
  
"This is my boss," Jim said. "You're safe now. We're going   
to take you to a friend of ours at the police station.   
They'll find your mom."  
  
The girl shook her head vigorously, trying to jerk free.   
Perry frowned.  
  
"Don't you want to find your mom?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"You're scared of the police?"  
  
Again, she nodded.  
  
"Hmmm." Perry was silent for a few seconds. "Why?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Chief," Jim said, after a short silence, "this whole thing   
is kind of weird."  
  
"Yeah, I'd noticed," Perry said, slowly.  
  
"I have an idea."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"I think maybe we should take her to Clark. He might be   
able to figure it out--and he's got the contacts, one way   
or another, to handle it better than we can."  
  
Perry gave a short bark of laughter. "You're probably   
right. I'll talk to the Security guys and let them know   
we're going to take care of it. Let's use your car."  
  
**********  
  
"What do you mean, a problem?" Clark asked, sharply.  
  
Bernie rubbed his hand across the sparse hair that still   
adorned his head. "Um...there's more than one baby there."  
  
"Is *that* all?" Lois burst out. "I thought something was   
wrong with the baby!"  
  
"Oh!" Bernie looked appalled. "No, nothing of the sort."  
  
The relief Clark felt was almost physical. The thought of   
twins wasn't nearly as intimidating as the thought of a   
problem with their child. "You scared us, Bernie."  
  
"I'm sorry." Dr. Klein looked guilty. "I sort of forgot you   
were there."  
  
That would have sounded ridiculous from anyone but Bernie   
Klein, Clark thought. "So, that was the big problem? We're   
having twins?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, didn't I explain?"  
  
"No, you didn't," Lois interrupted. Exasperation and   
uncertainty had given her voice a shrill note that would   
have put Clark on guard if he hadn't been so worried. "Why   
don't you tell us?"  
  
Bernard Klein looked harassed. "I'm sorry. It's just kind   
of a shock--I never expected to have to handle a multiple   
birth. Especially considering--" He didn't complete the   
sentence, though Clark could probably finish it, himself:   
'Considering that these are Superman's babies.'  
  
Dr. Klein nodded at the technician. "I'll want to schedule   
another sonogram next month. This is one pregnancy that I   
want to track closely." He turned back to Lois and Clark,   
scratching his chin, nervously.  
  
"Dr. Klein, is there a problem?" Lois asked. "Lots of women   
have twins."  
  
The doctor started, as if someone had prodded him   
unexpectedly. "Oh, no--didn't I say?"  
  
"Say what?" Clark demanded, trying to remain patient.  
  
Bernard Klein fidgeted, uncomfortably. "Uh--"  
  
"Dr. Klein, *what* is the matter?" Lois practically   
screeched.  
  
Bernard Klein gulped. "It's not twins," he managed, at   
last. "It's triplets."  
  
**********  
  
"I need to pick up Jonny and Marta," Jimmy explained.   
"They're supposed to stay with Sandi at the townhouse until   
Clark and Lois get back."  
  
"How about CJ?" Perry asked.  
  
"He's probably already at home. CJ has permission to stay   
by himself in the afternoon."  
  
"All right. Let's take care of that. I'll call Alice to let   
her know I'll be a little late and leave a message for   
Clark on his voice mail."  
  
"Okay." Jim glanced at the girl, sitting in the rear seat   
next to Jimmy's car seat. She still hadn't made a sound,   
but she looked less frightened, now. He hoped Clark could   
come up with some answers to their minor mystery. He didn't   
like the idea of scaring the kid more than she'd already   
been scared today. Dragging the police and Social Services   
into this was only likely to make the situation worse.  
  
Perry glanced at his watch. "Hmm, five o'clock. What time   
was their appointment?"  
  
"Four," Jim said. "You know doctors and hospitals, though.   
They'll be lucky to get out of there by six. That's why   
Clark asked me to pick up the kids."  
  
Perry nodded. He glanced back at the mystery girl. "We're   
going to take you to see a friend of ours who might be able   
to help," he explained. "Would you like something to eat in   
the meantime?" A timid nod answered him "Okay, as soon as   
we pick up Jimmy's sister and brother, we'll get   
something."  
  
"Sandi's getting takeout pizza," Jim said. "We might as   
well feed her along with the others." He looked at the   
girl. "Do you like pizza?"  
  
Another nod. Satisfied, Jim started up the engine and   
backed out of the parking spot. As he did so, he caught   
movement from the corner of his eye and turned to look. For   
a second, he saw two, nondescript men standing near a dark-  
colored car, then as one, they turned away and all he could   
see of them was their backs.  
  
"Perry, look over there to our left. Do you recognize those   
two guys?"  
  
Perry twisted around. "Where?"  
  
"They got into that sedan. They were watching us."  
  
"Hmm." Perry glanced at their passenger. "Probably nothing,   
but we better keep an eye on them."  
  
"Good idea." Jim shifted into forward and pulled away.   
Glancing in the mirror, he saw the taillights of the sedan   
come on. The car was backing out of its parking space.  
  
"Chief, can you see the license plate?" he asked.  
  
Perry lifted his head to look into the rear view mirror.   
"Yeah." He drew a pen from his shirt pocket and quickly   
jotted it down. "Let's see what we can find out about   
them."  
  
"Good idea." Jim glanced at the mirror again. "If he   
follows us, do you want me to try to lose him?"  
  
Perry hesitated. "Yeah, I think you better," he said, after   
a second. "I don't want to get held up or something.   
Especially with the kids in the car."  
  
"Ditto," Jim said. They pulled out the garage exit and   
turned right. A moment later, the sedan--seen in the light   
of the late afternoon sun, it was a dark maroon color--  
turned right, as well.  
  
This didn't look good. Jim saw that the light ahead of them   
was green and stepped on the gas. The afternoon traffic was   
heavy; typical rush hour congestion, he thought as he wove   
through the stopped or slowly moving cars, but the maroon   
sedan followed close on his bumper.  
  
"Make sure your seat belt is fastened tight, Chief," he   
said. "And you kids, hold on."  
  
**********  
  
"It's not twins--it's triplets."  
  
The words fell into a silence. After several seconds, Lois   
said faintly, "'Triplets'?"  
  
Dr. Klein nodded slowly, a nervous smile on his face.  
  
"Three?" Clark asked, not sure he'd heard correctly.   
"You're joking, right?"  
  
Bernie lifted an eyebrow at him. "Clark, would I joke about   
something like this?"  
  
"I guess not." Clark hadn't released Lois's hand. "Could   
this be why she's feeling worse, this time?  
  
"Maybe, maybe not. Multiple pregnancies are associated with   
a higher risk of complications, so it may have something to   
do with it." He turned to Bonnie. "Make me printouts of all   
this, would you? And--" he gave a small grin, "make a good   
one for Mr. and Mrs. Kent. They'll probably want it for   
their baby book."  
  
"While you guys talk this over, do you mind if I go to the   
bathroom?" Lois demanded, acerbically. "Unless you need to   
look at my insides anymore, that is?"  
  
"No, I think we have all the measurements we need for now,"   
Bernie said. He was silent while Clark helped Lois   
solicitously up from the table and to her feet. When she   
had left the room, he turned to Clark. "I know you're going   
to have a hard time slowing her down, but she's going to   
need to cut back her work schedule a little. Even at this   
point in her pregnancy, triplets are harder on the system   
than a single baby, and it *is* likely that it's behind   
some of her symptoms. I'm going to want to schedule her for   
some tests next week, just to make sure there aren't any   
problems developing at this early stage."  
  
Clark nodded, his mind racing over the implications of what   
he had just learned. "Will she be able to travel to   
Smallville for Christmas?" he asked. "She's going to be   
upset if she can't."  
  
Bernie smiled. "I think it will be all right," he said.   
"Just make sure she gets plenty of rest. Fatigue may be   
part of the trouble at this point. And, as she pointed out   
herself, her age is a factor, even though physically she   
looks much younger than forty."  
  
"I wouldn't bring that up in her hearing," Clark said,   
dryly.  
  
Dr. Klein grinned. "I didn't. She should continue with her   
exercise as well, but carefully. Multiple births also have   
a higher risk of miscarriage, so this is a word to the   
wise. And, I want to know right away if she develops any   
other problems. Pamper her a bit; it'll do her good. She's   
got her vitamins, and her diet recommendations, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"I'll depend on you to see that she eats right," Dr. Klein   
said, "especially since you do most of the cooking, anyway.   
Tell her she doesn't have to give up chocolate, though. I   
think that would be an unnecessary stress to her system at   
this point. And I want to see her here next month for   
another sonogram." He was writing furiously on Lois's   
chart. "Ms. Green will make the appointments for her. Drop   
by the lab on the way out. I need some blood drawn for some   
preliminary tests."  
  
"I knew it," Lois said, re-entering the cubicle. "You're   
Dracula in disguise."  
  
Dr. Klein grinned. "I keep the coffin in STAR Labs'   
underground vault. I'll see you in a few days, Lois."  
  
**********  
  
"That's the second red light he's run," Perry said. "I'd   
say he's following us, all right."  
  
"Yeah," Jim said. "I hope he doesn't know his way around   
here as well as I do."  
  
"It's an out-of-state license plate." Perry kept an eye on   
the vehicle in the right-hand mirror. "I can't see much of   
the two guys, though. Their windshield is one of those   
kinds that get dark in the sun."  
  
"That might help us." Jim took the next corner under the   
nose of the red light and almost immediately turned right   
again down a narrow alley. He winced as the left front tire   
bounced hard into a pothole. "Sandi's going to kill me if I   
screw up the suspension. Oh well, I guess she'll probably   
say it was in a good cause." They reached the end of the   
alley and turned right once more onto a narrow back street.  
  
"He just turned into the alley," Perry reported.  
  
"Hang on." Jim accelerated somewhat, turned sharply into a   
dim enclosure, slammed on the brakes and cut the engine.   
"Duck!"  
  
Perry obeyed, holding his breath. Silence, for a long count   
of fifty. Finally, Jim raised his head. "They went past.   
Stay there." He eased the door open and slid out. Perry   
stayed down, keeping an eye on the two children. The girl   
was scrunching as low as she could get in the seat and even   
Jimmy had ducked down in his car seat so that the top of   
his head was below the level of the rear window. No one   
made a sound, and Perry could hear the beating of his own   
heart in his ears.  
  
A soft, grating sound made him jump, but then he realized   
that a door was closing. The light around them dimmed.   
Jim opened the car door and slid into the front seat.   
"Just sit still. They'll probably be back, looking for us."  
  
"Where are we?" Perry asked.  
  
"In the apartment garage of one of my contacts," Jim said.   
"He's out of town for a couple of weeks. Something about   
things being a little too hot for him at present." He dug   
out his cellular phone. "I need to call Jonny's after-  
school teacher and tell her I'll be a little late picking   
him up."  
  
Perry chuckled. "Reminds me of when I worked the city   
beat." He looked back at their passengers. "Are you two all   
right?"  
  
Jimmy nodded. "That was fun! Can we do it again?"  
  
"Later," Perry said. He turned to the girl. "How about   
you?"  
  
"Okay." It was the first word she'd spoken.  
  
"Good." Perry knew better than to push things. If she was   
feeling safe enough to speak, maybe they could get more out   
of her in a little while.  
  
Jim concluded his call and punched in another number. "I'm   
going to call CK, too. Maybe he can help us out."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
**********  
  
Clark was sitting beside his wife in the waiting room for   
the lab when his cellular phone beeped softly. He'd turned   
it on after leaving the sonogram room and now, checking the   
readout, he noted that he had a missed call. He flipped it   
open. "Kent."  
  
"CK, it's Jim."  
  
"Hi, Jim. Everything all right?" he asked.  
  
"Um--not exactly," Jim Olsen's voice said. "I haven't been   
able to pick up the other two kids yet. Something happened.   
I called Jonny's teacher, so the school knows, but Perry   
and I wondered if you could help us."  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"Well, if you can get him, Superman would sure be useful,"   
Jim said. "Perry and I are hiding out in a garage, with   
Jimmy and a little girl who won't tell us her name, and two   
guys in a maroon car are looking for us. Do you suppose you   
could get Superman to help us out?"  
  
"What did you...never mind. I'll see what I can do. Where   
are you?"  
  
"In a garage in the 700 block of Elm."  
  
"Right. Hang on. I'll have Superman there as fast as I   
can."   
  
"Thanks," Jim said. "Bye."  
  
"What was that all about?" Lois asked.  
  
Clark scratched his chin. "I'm not sure I want to know, but   
I guess I'll find out. Will you be okay here for a while?"  
  
Lois glanced at her watch. "Sure. If you don't get back in   
time, I'll drive home."  
  
"All right. I'll be back soon." He gave her a peck on the   
mouth, got to his feet and hurried out the door.  
  
**********  
  
Soaring through the air, Superman reached the 700 block of   
Elm within a few seconds. Jim had said they were in a   
garage on this block, and they were hiding from two men.   
Floating high enough that observers were unlikely to notice   
him, he scanned the area for anything suspicious.  
  
A dark maroon car, its front windows open, was cruising   
slowly down the street. The occupants, two men in their   
mid-thirties by appearance, seemed to be peering closely at   
the buildings on both sides of the thoroughfare, obviously   
looking for something. That might be a coincidence, but it   
wouldn't hurt to let them know that they were under   
observation. He drifted downwards and assumed a sitting   
position in mid-air next to the passenger window.  
  
"You gentlemen look lost," he said casually. "Can I help?"  
  
The head of the man in the passenger seat whipped around   
and for a second Clark could have sworn his mouth dropped   
open slightly. With an effort, Clark prevented himself from   
staring. He'd seen this man before--or someone who looked   
very much like him. But where? The association wasn't a   
pleasant one either, he thought. The man wasn't   
particularly striking in appearance; quite the opposite in   
fact, but something about him made Clark's gut clench up   
with remembered unpleasantness and fear.  
  
But this wasn't the time to let them see what he was   
feeling. With the skill that he had developed over years of   
investigative reporting, he kept his face impassive. Both   
men were looking at him now, and Clark got a clear view of   
the other man's face. Again, he experienced the feeling of   
familiarity, if not to the same degree. There was   
definitely something here worth investigating, all right,   
and he would be willing to bet his best cape that these   
were the two men that Jim had told him about.  
  
The car braked slowly to a stop. The passenger smiled   
easily at him. "Yes, Superman. We were looking for the   
Foxboro Apartments. Do you know where they are?"  
  
"Certainly," Clark said. "They're on Palm, not Elm. You   
want to turn right at the next street and keep going until   
you hit Palm. They're right there." He lifted into the air   
above the street again and watched as the car pulled away,   
turned right at the corner and vanished after a few moments   
behind the buildings.  
  
Slowly, he turned his head and x-rayed the buildings on one   
side of the street and then the other. Ah, there were Jim   
and Perry, waiting quietly in Jim's car for him to come   
rescue them. Clark smiled slightly. His youngest son was   
strapped safely in the rear in his car seat, and beside him   
sat a thin, freckle-faced little girl whom he had never   
seen before in his life.  
  
Or had he? He squinted thoughtfully at her. Something about   
the child was vaguely familiar--not nearly as much as the   
two men were familiar; more like a general similarity to   
someone he knew or had known somewhere, but he couldn't   
place it. This was definitely a mystery that needed   
solving.  
  
Carefully, he looked around, scanning the area with his x-  
ray vision one more time. His eyes narrowed. The maroon car   
was parked at the side of the street just around the   
corner, masked by the first of the low buildings. One of   
the men was speaking into a cellular phone.  
  
Well, well, this was getting curiouser and curiouser, to   
quote Lewis Carroll. As he tuned in his super-hearing, he   
caught the tail end of the conversation. "...Alien is   
present, sir. The target has disappeared, but the creature   
may know something. Shall we keep him under surveillance?"  
  
"Affirmative. It's essential that we retrieve the target.   
Out."  
  
The conversation ended abruptly. Clark considered.  
  
What he'd heard wasn't pleasant. They'd referred to him as   
"the alien", and "the creature" and, if he was any judge,   
they sounded military. Whichever group they belonged to, he   
didn't like the way they looked or acted and since they   
were after Perry and Jim, that put them in the adversary   
column. If that little girl was the "target", these guys   
were in for a big disappointment, he decided. If it turned   
out later that he was wrong, well, he'd just have to take   
the consequences. He wasn't about to let them keep track of   
him, and he had some friends to bail out. This looked like   
a subject that Clark Kent should investigate, as well.   
Xenophobic military or paramilitary organizations with an   
interest in him weren't exactly on his list of favorite   
people. If such groups were still around, he'd better find   
out all he could about them and now seemed to be a good   
time to start.  
  
Slowly he drifted upward, thinking. What would be the best   
way to get Perry and Jimmy out of there without letting   
this pair know for certain that he had any idea what they   
were up to? A quick scan of the car revealed no high tech   
listening devices. Casually, he executed a slow and   
graceful turn in the air and proceeded down the street away   
from the 700 block of Elm at a pace equal to the speed of   
the traffic. Let them think he was simply on one of his   
regular patrols. Behind him, he heard the engine of the   
maroon car come on, and keeping his attention trained on   
them, he was soon satisfied that they were following him.  
  
With one hand, he produced his cellular phone, confident   
that his body and billowing cape prevented his tail from   
seeing it, and punched the speed dial for Jim's phone.   
After a short delay, Jim answered.  
  
"Olsen."  
  
"Jim, it's Superman. I'm leading your two tails in the   
maroon car on a wild goose chase. Wait a couple of minutes   
and then you can come out."  
  
"Right. Thanks, Superman."  
  
"You're welcome." He tucked the phone into his belt, never   
pausing on his way. A quick loop around an intersection   
gave him a look at the men in the car. They were half a   
block back, and both had their eyes fixed on him. Time for   
another delaying tactic. His favorite cappucino stand was   
right up the way....  
  
A few moments later, he touched leisurely down on the   
sidewalk and strolled up to the stand, waited patiently for   
another customer to have his order filled and then stepped   
up to the counter. "Hi, Billie."  
  
The young, black woman serving the drinks smiled. "Hi,   
Superman! Would you like your usual?"  
  
He shook his head. "Not this time. I've got a couple of   
guys following me, and I'd like to keep them busy for a few   
more minutes. Can you fix me the biggest, most complicated,   
most time-consuming thing you've got?"  
  
"Sure thing! How about our super-deluxe double-chocolate   
mocha, strawberry-creme, pineapple banana-whip cappucino   
with extra foam? That should take a few minutes."  
  
"Sounds perfect," he agreed. He leaned casually on the   
counter, smiling at the passers-by who glanced curiously at   
him while Billie prepared the drink. Time for a little more   
eavesdropping. The maroon car had pulled into a space down   
the street and he trained his super-hearing on its two   
occupants.  
  
"What's he doing, now?"  
  
"Looks to me like he's getting a cappucino."  
  
"I didn't think an alien like him would drink cappucino."  
  
"Trying to blend in."  
  
"Must be."  
  
They fell silent again.  
  
"Here you go, Superman," Billie said.  
  
"Thanks." Clark took the concoction, paid her, added a   
substantial tip for her help and moved away from the stand,   
sipping the drink. Hmm, this was pretty good, he thought.   
Lois would like it, when she was feeling up to par, except   
for the fact that it was probably loaded with calories and   
Lois watched her weight very strictly.  
  
"Mommy, I want what Superman's having," a youthful voice   
announced. The speaker, he found, was a boy of about eight   
who was eyeing the drink with interest. His mother's   
expression was more skeptical.  
  
Clark grinned. "It's actually not bad," he said. "But I   
think this much caffeine wouldn't be a good idea."  
  
"But--"  
  
The boy's mother smiled at Clark. "You heard Superman,   
Jerry. That isn't for kids."  
  
"But, I *want* it."  
  
"No," she said, firmly. "How about a hot chocolate?"  
  
Clark lifted off, careful not to spill his drink. The two   
tails might or might not have any information with them   
that he could use, but if they did, he needed to know it.   
Jim and Perry had almost certainly had time to get away by   
now. He gulped down the drink in two swallows, dropped the   
cup into a trash receptacle and shot suddenly straight   
upward into the sky.  
  
The tails were startled, to say the least. Clark trained   
his hearing on the car and grinned at the language issuing   
from the vehicle. Again, he took out his cellular phone and   
hit the speed dial.  
  
"Hello?" Lois's voice said a few seconds later.  
  
"Lois, this is Clark. I've gotten involved in something   
important. I'm going to be awhile."  
  
"So am I," his wife's voice said. "I'm still waiting. Did   
you know there are at least thirty-seven magazines in this   
room, each with their own unique, foolproof method of losing   
weight?"  
  
He laughed. "Isn't that interesting? If that's so, this   
should be the thinnest country in the world. If I get   
finished before you're through, I'll be back."  
  
"I'll give you a call when I'm done."  
  
"That would be good. See you in a while. Love you."  
  
"Be careful," she said.  
  
"I will. We've got a mystery here. I'll tell you about it   
later."  
  
"You better, mister. Later."  
  
Clark tucked the phone away. Time for a little super-  
eavesdropping and spying. If there was anything in that car   
that might tell him something about these people, he was   
going to find it. And it was going to be worth the time   
seeing where they went.  
  
**********  
  
"You guys go into the townhouse," Jim said. "I'll go pick   
up Marta and Jonny. It looks like Sandi's here, so I'm   
going to take her car. On the off-chance that I run across   
those guys again, I don't want them to recognize this one."  
  
"Good thinking," Perry said. "Come on, kids. Let's go get   
some pizza."  
  
Sandi Olsen met them at the door. "Hi, Chief! I didn't   
expect you. Where are Jim and the others?"  
  
"He's going to pick them up now," Perry explained,   
shepherding Jimmy and the girl through the door ahead of   
him. "Sorry to be late. We had a couple of strange things   
happen."  
  
"Oh? And who's this?" Sandi turned to the unexpected guest.  
  
"That's a good question," Perry said. "She hasn't told us   
her name, yet. We're going to try to find her mom for her   
when she does. She's had a kind of bad experience."  
  
"I see--I think." Sandi closed the door behind them. "Well,   
why don't we break out one of the pizzas? Are you two   
hungry?"  
  
"Yeah!" Jimmy shouted, enthusiastically and galloped   
through the entranceway toward the kitchen. The girl ducked   
behind Perry's leg and peeked up at Sandi, cautiously. She   
nodded, shyly.  
  
"CJ and Wyatt are upstairs," Sandi said. "I promised I'd   
call them. Why don't you take her into the kitchen and sit   
them both down at the table? I'll be with you in a minute,   
and then you can tell me what happened."  
  
Perry nodded. "It's been a very unusual day," he said,   
dryly.  
  
"Of course it has." Sandi gave a little laugh. "Every day   
is unusual at the Planet. I work there too, remember?"  
  
"How could I forget," Perry said. "I don't know how many   
times Jim came runnin' to me for advice on how to impress   
you. Where's my godson, by the way?"  
  
"Asleep," Sandi said. "Finally. Go on, Perry, and I'll get   
the boys."  
  
Perry looked down at the girl who was still clutching his   
pantleg. That wasn't such a bad thing, really. It meant she   
wasn't afraid of him, as she had been of the guy in the   
elevator. But what had at first looked like a simple child   
abduction had rapidly escalated into something far more. He   
hoped Clark would be able to find out something while he   
was leading those two guys on a merry chase, and maybe he   
could get the kid to talk when he got here. Clark seemed to   
be very good at communicating with children.  
  
He extended a hand to her. "Come on, honey. Let's go in and   
sit down."  
  
Jimmy was already parked in a kitchen chair when they   
entered the kitchen and only a couple of minutes later, CJ   
and Wyatt entered the room, followed by Sandi.  
  
"Everybody grab a seat," she said, turning to one of the   
large boxes sitting on the central kitchen island. "Does   
everyone like pepperoni and sausage, or would you rather   
have a vegetarian pizza?"  
  
"Pepperoni!" Jimmy announced.  
  
Sandi laughed and set the box down in the center of the   
table. "Help yourselves." She turned to their silent guest.   
"This is Clark Kent Jr. --called CJ by everybody, and this   
is his friend Wyatt Dillon. I don't know, but did anyone   
introduce her to the rest of us? This is Jimmy Kent, and   
Perry White, the editor of the Daily Planet newspaper, and   
I'm Sandi Olsen. My husband, Jim will be back in a little   
while with Marta and Jonny Kent. I'm saving more pizza for   
them, so don't worry. Eat as much as you want."  
  
There was a scramble as the other children took their   
seats. CJ smiled at the girl and patted the empty chair   
beside him. "Hi. Want to sit here?"  
  
She nodded again and slid into the seat next to him. Wyatt   
reached for the largest piece of pizza and CJ stopped him.   
"She's the guest, Wyatt. Let her have it."  
  
The smaller boy looked surprised, but shrugged and took the   
one next to it. CJ picked up the largest piece, dripping   
with cheese, and deposited it on the girl's plate. "Here.   
You look kind of hungry. My name's CJ."  
  
"Hi." Her voice was almost inaudible. "I'm Linda."  
  
**********  
  
The men in the maroon car fell silent after the initial   
outburst. Clark floated patiently, listening. Finally, one   
said, "I guess we'd better report in. The Colonel isn't   
going to like this."  
  
"We'll track down the two guys who took her. I got the   
license number."  
  
"One of them was the paper's editor. I recognized him."  
  
"White?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Maybe we should have a 'talk' with him."  
  
"That's up to the Colonel. I think we better report in   
person. This isn't the kind of thing that should go out   
over the air. You never know who or what is listening."  
  
Clark frowned. The more he heard from these two, the less   
he liked it and the more certain he was that he'd done the   
right thing. Well, just in case the military, or someone   
else, was tracking him, he'd better give the impression   
that Superman was just engaging in his daily activities. He   
could keep an eye on the men from just about anywhere in   
the air above the city, now that he'd identified and was   
watching them. That was one of the reasons he'd never been   
specific about how far his abilities extended, even to the   
U.S. authorities. Most of them were probably good, well-  
intentioned men and women of integrity, but unfortunately   
there were always a few who weren't, and you couldn't be   
completely sure that the wrong information wouldn't end up   
in their hands. He could think of a few such individuals   
he'd known personally. Their false assumptions about him   
had, more than once, been all that had saved him and   
persons he cared about from death.  
  
He executed a wide, graceful turn in the air and cruised   
across the sky toward the airport, but his attention never   
wavered from the men in the maroon car. Neither said   
anything more, but the vehicle was now wending its way   
across town. He had every intention of finding out   
everything he could about this group. And, in the meantime,   
he searched his memory, wracking his brain in the effort of   
recall. He had met both of these men; of that he was sure,   
and the circumstances had been extremely unpleasant. He'd   
had a closer association with the passenger than the   
driver; he was almost certain of that too, but he'd met   
them together. Where had it been? Superman and Clark Kent   
both had encountered hundreds of shady characters over the   
nearly fifteen years of his career in Metropolis and more   
before that. Picking two men out of the rogue's gallery in   
his head wasn't an easy task, even with a photographic   
memory. He was sure to come up with the answer sooner or   
later, but he'd rather it was sooner. Where had he seen   
them?  
  
A military plane shot by on his right, headed south,   
probably for Washington, DC. A glance at its sleek, silver   
lines before it vanished to his rear, made something click   
suddenly in his mind and all at once, he knew when and   
where it had happened. It had been in association with the   
military that he had met much younger versions of these   
two. They had been among the Bureau 39 goons that had   
assisted Jason Trask during his insane hunt for Superman,   
nearly fifteen years ago. The car's passenger was the man   
who had fired a gun at Clark Kent during that first   
encounter, ironically enough on another plane, only a few   
weeks after he and Lois had met.  
  
But why would Bureau 39, of all possible organizations, be   
interested in a little girl?  
  
A chilling thought occurred to him. He hoped fervently that   
he was wrong, but nothing he had seen so far had in any way   
contradicted it. If it was true, then he had a big job on   
his hands--one that he should have thought about, years   
back. As a matter of fact, now that he'd thought of it, it   
was something he was going to have to check out anyway,   
Bureau 39 or not.  
  
Be that as it might, however, he had neglected the agency   
for far too long. It was apparent to him from the   
conversation he'd overheard, that they hadn't changed their   
attitude or their methods of operation at all--toward him,   
or anybody else. Jimmy and Perry, as well as others at the   
Daily Planet, could quite possibly be in danger because of   
whatever had happened this afternoon. The rogue government   
agency had already threatened, hurt and quite possibly   
killed innocent people, and ignored the laws of the country   
it purported to serve, all under the guise of protecting   
humanity from a nonexistent alien invasion. No person and   
no organization had the right to do that, no matter how   
noble they believed their cause to be. He must have been   
crazy to assume that Bureau 39 had been dissolved after the   
death of Jason Trask. They'd gone underground, but they   
were very much intact, judging by the evidence and for some   
unknown reason, they had surfaced again.  
  
Clark set his jaw, watching the maroon car as it made its   
slow way toward an unknown destination. It was long past   
time for Lane and Kent to expose the group for the   
jackbooted thugs that they were. One way or another, this   
time Bureau 39 was going down for good.  
  
**********  
  
Linda. Well, at least they had a name.  
  
Perry regarded CJ thoughtfully. It figured that he would be   
able to get Linda to speak when no one else had been   
successful. The boy was so like his father that it was   
almost scary, although it kind of figured, he thought,   
considering where CJ had almost certainly come from. The   
editor grinned to himself. It would have been quite a   
story, if he'd ever allowed it to be printed up in the   
Daily Planet; one of those illustrations of irony that was   
a lesson in itself. But the story would never be written,   
no matter how tempting. The harm it would do outweighed all   
other considerations in Perry's judgement. Lex Luthor   
hadn't known it, but he'd done the world an enormous favor   
when he'd tried to create the ultimate weapon against   
Superman. He'd given them CJ Kent, who would certainly be   
as much of a force for good when he was grown as the couple   
who had adopted him.  
  
CJ, on the other hand, couldn't seem to take his eyes off   
Linda, and he was favoring her with his father's shy,   
charming smile. Linda met his gaze and then looked down,   
also smiling. Perry felt his eyebrows rising at the sight.  
  
"Linda's a pretty name," CJ said. "I like it. What's your   
last name?"  
  
"Lennox," she replied, without hesitation. Perry turned his   
face away to hide a grin. It looked to him as if CJ had   
suddenly discovered girls and that the girl in question   
seemed to like CJ, as well. He wondered what Lois would   
have to say.  
  
"Would you like to have some soda?" CJ asked. "Aunt Sandi   
got some to go with the pizza."  
  
Linda nodded again, as Sandi produced a two-liter bottle   
from the Kents' refrigerator.  
  
The doorbell chimed at this point. Perry turned toward the   
living room. "I'll get it."  
  
It was, as he had suspected, Jim Olsen and the other two   
Kent kids. Marta and Jonny headed immediately for the   
kitchen and the pizza, while Perry locked the door behind   
his subordinate.  
  
"Call me paranoid," he remarked, as Jim removed his coat,   
"but I don't trust whoever those guys were."  
  
"That makes two of us," Jim said. "I sure hope Lois and   
Clark can figure out who they were, and what's going on.   
And I'll be a lot happier when Clark gets here. I've got a   
creepy feeling about all this."  
  
"Yeah," Perry agreed. "Me, too. At least CJ managed to get   
our mystery girl to talk to him. Her name's Linda Lennox."  
  
Jim gave a snort of laughter. "Trust that old Kent charm   
with the women. Wish I had it."  
  
Perry grinned. "You're not doin' too bad, son. You got   
Sandi, didn't you? Or, maybe it was Sandi that got you.   
Look; go on in with the others. I need to call Alice again   
and let her know I'm going to be a little later than I   
thought."  
  
**********  
  
The maroon car moved quietly into a shed next to a   
familiar, dilapidated warehouse. Clark raised his eyebrows.   
Bessolo Boulevard? It appeared that Bureau 39 was moving   
back into old territory--or maybe they figured that since   
the place had been theirs once and abandoned, no one would   
think to look there, especially if no one knew Bureau 39   
was on the move again. The place had been used to store   
furniture meant for public buildings over the last fourteen   
years, as far as Clark knew. It looked as if some changes   
had recently taken place, though. This was getting more   
interesting than ever; the rogue agency seemed to be coming   
back in spades, returning to its old area of operation. Of   
course, it was possible that the warehouse had some sort of   
strategic importance to the group. That remained to be   
seen. He decided to look it over carefully at the next   
opportunity. It was too bad he and Lois hadn't thought of   
that, way back when they had had a wide-open field. Quite   
probably, the leaders of Bureau 39 had never given up their   
paranoid belief that he was the point man for an alien   
invasion. Why had he assumed that Jason Trask was the only   
mental case in the group? Any organization like Bureau 39   
attracted conspiracy nuts, and Lord Nor's crowd had more   
than likely simply reinforced the paranoia. Who knew what   
kind of delusions they had come up with in the years since?  
  
He didn't like to think of the direction their imaginings   
might have led them, but it wasn't something he could   
avoid, much as he might want to. Whether Bureau 39 was   
actually a true government agency anymore, or not, wasn't   
really the issue. The real issue was the fact that there   
was a group of extremely dangerous fanatics out there who   
were willing to do anything and sacrifice anybody in order   
to save the world--whether it needed saving or not.  
  
The two men exited the car and approached a side door of   
the warehouse. One of them produced a card and slipped it   
into a slot on the doorframe and after a few seconds, the   
door slid open.  
  
Interestingly enough, the building didn't appear to be   
shielded with lead. He floated silently above the   
structure, examining the interior with his x-ray vision,   
and drawing a few unpalatable conclusions.  
  
The furniture was still present, taking up the warehouse   
space, but that wasn't where the men were going. An   
elevator in one wall, looking exactly like a utility   
closet, took them down below the floor level to a basement   
that he hadn't even realized was there. It wasn't lead-  
lined, either. Bureau 39's bosses must have decided that   
lead shielding would be more likely to draw Superman's   
attention than a drab, furniture warehouse, and simply   
relied on anonymity to protect their hideout. It had worked   
well, and would have continued to work if chance hadn't   
drawn his attention to the deception.  
  
Well, he could kick himself for his complacence later.   
Right now, he had some serious eavesdropping to do.  
  
**********  
  
"Are you feeling better now, Linda?" Sandi asked.  
  
Linda nodded. Her thin, freckled face had lost its scared   
expression, though she stayed close to CJ, as if for   
reassurance. Perry seated himself in the chair vacated by   
Jimmy Kent and cleared his throat.  
  
"Linda," he said, "do you have any idea what was going on,   
this afternoon?"  
  
Linda didn't answer, but the hunted look returned. CJ   
frowned and shifted a little closer to her. "You're scaring   
her, Uncle Perry."  
  
Perry decided not to pursue that line of questioning for   
the moment, but maybe another approach would yield better   
results. "Can you tell us your mom's name and where you   
live? If we can get in touch with her, we can get the two   
of you back together as soon as possible."  
  
Linda shook her head and looked more scared than ever.   
"They'll hurt my mommy," she said. "Ben will hurt my   
mommy."  
  
"Who's Ben?" CJ asked.  
  
"Ben's my stepfather," Linda said. "He's mean."  
  
"Was that him that you were with, today?" Jim asked. He was   
leaning against the kitchen island, listening to the   
conversation.  
  
Linda nodded. "He doesn't like me."  
  
"Why not?" Jim asked.  
  
"I don't know," Linda said in a soft voice. "He says I'm   
disgusting. Mommy and Ben fight about me all the time. They   
don't think I know, but I do." This was spoken in a quiet,   
resigned tone.  
  
Perry turned to look at Jim. "I think we better let this   
go, for now. Somethin' real funny is going on here. I don't   
like it a bit."  
  
"Neither do I," Jim said. "Linda, just one last thing. Was   
your stepfather really taking you to see the dentist, this   
afternoon?"  
  
Linda shook her head. "He said he was taking me where I   
belonged," she said, very softly. "He said he was going to   
get rid of me for good."  
  
"Did your mom know?" CJ burst out. The boy sounded angry.   
"Did she let him?"  
  
"Mommy didn't know," Linda said. "He said the people he was   
taking me to would hurt her if I told her."  
  
"Your stepfather is nasty," Wyatt said, in the direct way   
of a child. "You oughtta tell the cops."  
  
Linda shook her head, and Perry could see tears standing in   
her eyes. "Ben said he was taking me to the police," she   
whispered. "He said no one else would want me when they   
knew what I was. He said I was dirty and disgusting, and an   
abmi--abomnishon, or something...." She began to sob. "He   
said I wasn't even a girl! He said mommy only kept me   
because no one else wanted me. He said I was a monster!"  
  
Perry got to his feet so quickly he nearly upset the   
kitchen chair, surprised to find that he was clenching his   
fists in anger. He thought he'd heard everything, and that   
nothing could outrage him like this, but in a way, he was   
glad to discover that he was wrong. This kind of thing   
should infuriate any decent human being. "You listen to me,   
Linda," he said, fighting to control his voice, "you're not   
an abomination, or a monster, or anything else. If anyone's   
a monster, *he* is."  
  
"That's for sure." Jim's voice was trembling with what   
Perry could see was pure, unadulterated fury. He had never   
seen Jim Olsen so angry. "Don't worry about Ben, Linda. He   
isn't going to hurt you or your mom. We won't let him. And   
no police officer in his right mind would believe that   
stuff. This guy is sick!"  
  
Sandi glanced from Jim to Perry and back, then went to   
stand by Linda's chair. "Linda, did he ever...did he ever--  
*do* anything to you that he shouldn't? Did he ever touch   
you somewhere that--"  
  
Linda shook her head. "No. He said I made him want to throw   
up." She sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her   
hand.  
  
Sandi's face had gone white with anger. "What's Ben's name,   
Linda? It isn't Lennox, is it?"  
  
"No." Her voice was almost inaudible. "It's Ben Abernathy.   
He wouldn't let me use it when he married Mommy. He said--"  
  
"It doesn't matter what he said," Perry broke in, gruffly.   
"I've heard enough about this guy. Linda, I'd like to call   
a friend of mine. He used to be a policeman, but he isn't   
anymore. I think he might be able to help us. And I promise   
he won't hurt you. He's got two little girls of his own.   
Will you let me call him?"  
  
"Henderson?" Jim asked.  
  
Perry nodded, never taking his eyes from Linda. "I won't   
call anyone, if you don't want me to, honey, but I really   
think my friend can help you and your mom."  
  
CJ had moved to stand next to Linda, and now he took her   
hand in his. Perry blinked, but said nothing. "I know who   
he's talking about, Linda. Mr. Henderson is nice. He's a   
friend of my mom and dad, too."  
  
That seemed to do the trick. Linda nodded slowly. "Okay."  
  
**********  
  
Clark followed the progress of the men he had dubbed Goon A   
and Goon B. The two exited the elevator into the basement   
of the old warehouse-which didn't look nearly as old or   
run-down in here as it did, upstairs. The place had been   
arranged, through the use of thin, metal paneling, like an   
office. Various persons, men and women, moved about,   
apparently intent on their tasks. The office that seemed to   
be reserved for the mysterious Colonel was actually   
completely enclosed--evidently, rank had its privileges   
here, too, he thought.  
  
Goon A paused for an instant, took a deep breath and   
knocked gently on the door. A voice, tinged with a slight   
southern accent, answered him. "Come."  
  
Clark wrinkled his brow. He'd heard that voice somewhere   
before, but where? He trained his x-ray vision on the room   
and the walls dissolved before him. His eyebrows shot up.   
Well, well, that explained a number of things.  
  
Goon A and Goon B entered the room. Seated behind a heavy,   
utilitarian desk, Colonel Ambrose "Rudy" Cash, formerly of the U.S.   
Army, looked up from the paper he had been reading and   
slowly removed the cigar from his mouth. "Well? What   
happened to Superman?"  
  
"Um...he, uh--left."  
  
"Superman left?"  
  
"Yes, sir. Straight up."  
  
The former officer surveyed his two subordinates with a   
bland expression. Casually, he placed the paper he had been   
reading down onto the surface of his desk and almost   
absentmindedly set a paperweight, carved into the shape of   
a coiled serpent, on top of it. "Did he know you were   
followin' him?"  
  
"It isn't likely, sir." Goon B spoke up. "He spoke to us a   
short time before, and didn't seem suspicious. He even   
stopped at a sidewalk stand for a cappucino."  
  
"Hmm." Cash laid his cigar down in the ashtray that sat on   
one corner of the desk. "No sign of the girl?"  
  
"No, sir. But we did identify one of the men who abducted   
her. It was the editor."  
  
"White," Cash said. He stuck out his lower lip for a   
moment, obviously thinking. "You said there were two men?"  
  
"Yes sir. I didn't recognize the other. It might have been   
one of his reporters. I got the car's license number."  
  
"Did you, now?" Cash said, genially. "Find out who it   
belongs to," he added. "I want that girl."  
  
"Sir, what do we do if she talks?" Goon B was obviously   
worried. "If the alien finds out--"  
  
""She can't tell what she doesn't know." Cash picked up the   
cigar and took a deep drag.  
  
"The mother can."  
  
"She can be--influenced not to talk." Cash didn't seem   
worried. "Find out about that car and who owns it. I don't   
want to deal with Superman, but White has family and   
friends we can work through. There's a good chance they'll   
just return her to her mother, though. If they don't, there   
are other avenues to explore."  
  
Goon A spoke up. "You don't think it was deliberate?"  
  
"Nah." Cash crushed out the stub of the cigar and leaned   
back in his chair. "I think they were bein' good citizens."   
He gave an amused snort. "They'll probably take the kid   
back to her ma and congratulate themselves for doin' a good   
deed."  
  
"The mother could be a stumbling block. If the girl tells   
her it was Abernathy that--"  
  
"I'll handle that. We'll take care of the problem she   
represents just as soon as we have the girl. I'd already   
scheduled it. We'll just have to push up the timetable a   
little."  
  
Goon B looked relieved. "How about Abernathy?"  
  
"Taken care of." Cash leaned forward and placed his elbows   
on the desk. "He wasn't reliable. If the wrong people were   
to get wind of this, we'd be shut down overnight. That   
fool, Trask, jumped the gun and nearly destroyed the whole   
agency. I've worked too long and hard to bring it back   
after he screwed up so royally. Now, at last, we have the   
chance to present convincing evidence of the aliens' real   
plan and show those idiot bureaucrats that the danger is   
real." He leaned back in his chair. "Get movin'. We've got   
a limited window of time and I don't want to waste it."  
  
"Yessir." Goon B turned and departed. Goon A hesitated for   
a long moment. Cash produced another cigar and took his   
time clipping the end, lighting it and taking his first   
long drag. At last, he looked up at Goon A.  
  
"Yeah, Jones? Is there somethin' else?"  
  
"Yeah." Jones seemed to be examining the corner of Cash's   
desk with undue interest. "Sir, what if we're wrong? She's   
just a little kid."  
  
"She ain't a little kid. She's a monster--a thing. Don't go   
soft on me, Jones."  
  
"No, sir. I just wondered."  
  
"Well, stop wonderin'. I'm an expert in tactics. Nor and   
his buddies were just the sacrificial goats--the   
distraction to keep our minds off the real danger, the real   
invasion. I tried to stop 'em back then. Without Superman,   
the plan wouldn't have had the ghost of a chance of   
succeeding, but somehow he managed to survive. The girl may   
be the first of this new batch, but she can't be the only   
one. We've got to find out all we can about the critter   
before it's too late for the human race."  
  
"And Superman, sir?"  
  
"You let me worry about him. STAR Labs ain't the only place   
that had a piece of Kryptonite." He picked up the oddly   
shaped paperweight and held it to the light. Even from his   
point in the air, high above the city, Clark could see the   
little, carved stone glowing a sickly green and felt a   
chill crawl down his back. "That alien's been a spy for his   
people for all this time, but we're gonna break his cover   
when we show those pea-brained bureaucrats what we found."  
  
**********  
  
Lois Lane walked slowly out of the lab, one hand pressing   
down on the gauze bandage that adorned the inner side of   
her left arm. Considering how much blood the technician had   
taken, it was doubtful that she had much to spare, she   
reflected, grimly. Every vampire that inhabited this place   
must be getting his very own cocktail. Preliminary tests,   
hah! If these were preliminary, by the time Bernie Klein   
was done, she wouldn't have any blood left.  
  
A glance at her watch informed her that it was six-fifteen.   
There was no sign of Clark in the waiting room, so he must   
still be involved in whatever he'd called her about.   
Briefly, she considered calling him, and rejected the idea.   
He'd sounded as if whatever he was doing was pretty   
important, so she slipped into her coat and headed for the   
parking lot where they had left the Jeep.  
  
A familiar whoosh greeted her ears when she was almost to   
the vehicle and an instant later, she wasn't surprised to   
see Clark standing beside it, holding the door for her.  
  
"Your place or mine?" he inquired, with a lift of his   
eyebrows.  
  
"I guess we'd better go to yours," she said. "I have a very   
jealous husband."  
  
"What a coincidence," he replied. "I happen to have a very   
jealous wife. I guess we'll just have to run away   
together."  
  
"Sounds good to me," she said, tilting her face up for a   
kiss.  
  
He obliged her with a more thorough one than was strictly   
proper in an open parking lot, but no one saw them. After   
giving her a hand into the passenger seat, he closed and   
locked the door and went around to the driver's side while   
she was fastening the safety belt.  
  
"So what happened?" she asked, as he was starting up the   
engine. "I gathered it was pretty important."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." He seemed to be   
concentrating solely on getting them out of the parking   
space, but Lois recognized the pattern. Whatever had   
happened, it was bothering him a good deal and he was   
trying to organize his thoughts before he spoke. She   
waited, trying to be patient.  
  
"I ran into some old friends of ours," he began at last.   
"The two guys who were chasing Perry and Jimmy. I'm sure   
you haven't forgotten Bureau 39?"  
  
It was just as well, she thought, that she wasn't driving   
when he dropped that particular bombshell. They would   
probably have gone off the road. "Bureau 39--you mean   
*Trask*?"  
  
"Well, no, not Trask. He's still dead, as far as I know,   
but it's interesting that you should mention him. I ran   
into somebody else who came pretty close to killing   
Superman. Do you remember Colonel Cash?"  
  
"What is this? Old home week for bad guys?" Lois asked.  
  
"That," Clark said, "is a good question. Let me tell you   
what happened...."  
  
**********  
  
By the time he had finished, Clark was turning the Jeep   
Grand Cherokee onto Hyperion Avenue. Lois was silent as he   
pulled up before the townhouse and cut the engine. Sandi's   
little compact car was parked just ahead of them, tight   
against the curb. They really had to work out a better   
system, she thought absently. Their garage held two   
vehicles, but it was most inconveniently situated behind   
the townhouse, which meant that to park in it, you had to   
drive down half a block, turn into the alley and swing   
around to the rear of the place. The garage was where they   
usually parked the minivan that Jimmy's birth had forced   
them to buy. Her Jeep was still her favorite, but you   
simply couldn't fit four kids, two of them in safety seats,   
into it with any kind of legality. What they were going to   
do when the triplets arrived was anybody's guess. Buy a   
bus, maybe.  
  
A sudden thought occurred to her. "Alice!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"They were going to check up on Perry! Did you warn Alice?"  
  
"Oh, yeah, I phoned her," Clark assured her. "She promised   
she wouldn't open the door without checking, and would set   
off the house alarm if anyone she didn't know tried to get   
in. I doubt there's much danger to her, anyway. They're   
trying to be subtle, difficult as it is to believe. Trying   
to break into the house of the Planet's editor might draw   
attention."  
  
"To say the least of it." Lois undid her seatbelt and   
turned to unlock the door. Then, she noticed the expression   
on Clark's face. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing, I guess," he said, doubtfully, "but it looks like   
we've got quite a party going on in our house."  
  
"A party?"  
  
"Yeah. Sandi's there, and the kids, but so are Perry,   
Jimmy, Bill 'Deputy Mayor' Henderson, and a little girl   
with red hair and freckles, who I think is the one Cash is   
after. They seem to be eating pizza. I guess we better find   
out what it's all about."  
  
**********  
  
Perry looked around at the sound of a key in the front   
door. When Lois and Clark entered, he set his slice of   
pizza onto the saucer he had appropriated for the purpose   
and got to his feet. "Hi, kids."  
  
Clark glanced slowly around and raised his eyebrows. "Hi,   
Chief. Mind if we join the party?"  
  
Perry chuckled. "Help yourself. Sandi bought pizza for the   
kids and we're finishing off the leftovers."  
  
Clark glanced at Lois. "Do you mind, honey?"  
  
Lois shook her head, a surprised expression on her face.   
"No. Any of that pepperoni left?"  
  
"Right here." Sandi moved forward. "Would you like me to   
heat it up for you?" Sandi, Perry was aware, undoubtedly   
knew very well the problem Lois was having with her   
"afternoon morning sickness", in spite of the fact that   
Sandi was still on maternity leave. If she could handle   
pepperoni pizza, it was all to the good.  
  
"No, I think I'd like it better cold." Lois accepted a   
slice and took a large bite. "Do you want to introduce us   
to your friend, Perry?" she asked through the mouthful,   
nodding at Linda.  
  
"Sure." Perry turned to her. The little girl was sitting   
quietly on the loveseat between CJ and Wyatt. The two boys   
somehow managed to give the impression of a pair of   
bodyguards so strongly that he had to hide a smile. "Linda,   
these are Clark Kent and Lois Lane, CJ's mother and father.   
Clark, Lois, I'd like you to meet Linda Lennox. Linda was   
the person those two characters wanted. We haven't any idea   
why."  
  
Clark nodded. Perry saw him looking closely at the child's   
face, a slight frown on his. He walked slowly across the   
carpet to her. "Hello, Linda. I'm glad to meet you. I see   
you already know CJ."  
  
"Hi." Her voice was almost inaudible.  
  
Clark extended a hand and solemnly shook hers. "Jim already   
told me a little about what happened to you when he phoned   
me. We're going to try to find out what's going on.   
Superman has been doing some checking on those guys who   
were after you. He told me we need to find your mom so we   
can help protect her from them, too. Can you tell us her   
name?"  
  
Perry watched, marveling at Clark's ability to connect with   
Linda. She was smiling timidly at him. "Okay." She looked   
first at CJ, who smiled encouragingly and gave her a small   
nod. "Her name is Carolyn. Carolyn Abernathy."  
  
"And, what's your address?"  
  
Linda gave it. Perry looked at Jim and Henderson and shook   
his head.  
  
Henderson chuckled. "I wish we'd had you working for us   
when I was on the force, Clark."  
  
"Linda," Clark said, "why don't you and the guys here go to   
the kids' playroom, upstairs. Wyatt and CJ will show you   
where it is. We'll get hold of your mom and tell her where   
you are. We don't want those guys to find out you're here,   
so we're going to go about this very carefully. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," she said. CJ and Wyatt got up and CJ pulled her   
hand. "Come on, Linda. It's gonna be all right. My mom and   
dad will fix things."  
  
The three children headed for the stairs. Clark settled   
onto the loveseat they had occupied and tugged Lois down   
beside him. He murmured something to her, and Perry saw her   
nod.  
  
"How did the appointment go?" Jim asked. "Everything all   
right?"  
  
Lois swallowed a last mouthful of the pizza slice and began   
to unwind the bandage from her arm. "If you consider the   
fact that they practically drained me of blood, yeah, I   
guess so." She examined the bruised mark on her arm. "The   
technician missed the vein twice. When this is all over, I   
intend to have a few words with Bernie Klein."  
  
Perry saw Clark make a face. "I'm sorry, honey."  
  
"Why? It wasn't your fault." She sighed. "I guess we might   
as well come clean. There's more than one baby."  
  
"Twins?" Perry was honestly delighted. "That's great!"  
  
"No," Clark said. "Triplets."  
  
There was a moment's silence. "Three?" Jim said at last.   
"Wow. Way to go, CK...and Lois," he added after a moment.  
  
Henderson gave one of his sardonic grins. "It figures,   
Lois. I've never once known you and Clark to do anything   
the easy way. Congratulations."  
  
"Yeah," Lois said. "Well, be that as it may, we'll worry   
about it later. Right now, we have another problem. Do you   
guys remember Bureau 39?"  
  
The name sounded familiar. Perry wrinkled his brow, trying   
to recall. "Bureau 39--not that bunch of crazies that   
thought Superman was an invader?"  
  
"That's the bunch," Clark said. "They're back, and they've   
got a piece of Kryptonite. According to Superman, the two   
guys chasing you were from that lot--he recognized them."  
  
"Oh, man!" Jim said. "I thought they'd disappeared when   
their boss, Trask, was killed."  
  
"They've got a new boss," Clark said. "None other than   
Colonel Cash, formerly of the U.S. Army. From what Superman   
overheard, he's been involved with Bureau 39 for quite a   
while--at least since the New Kryptonian invasion. He may   
even have tried to kill Superman along with Nor--at least   
that's what he seemed to be hinting at."  
  
"Well, at least it's nice to know all the nuts are in one   
package," Henderson said, dryly. "Cash was court-martialed   
and given a dishonorable discharge. I made it a point to be   
present at his trial. I wonder if the Army knows where he   
is, now?"  
  
"Might be worth making a few inquiries," Perry said. "It   
never hurts to let the bosses in Washington know what their   
field agents are doing--if he's even with the government   
anymore. Trask was a renegade and the boys upstairs didn't   
realize it until he killed Johnson, after Trask's bunch   
invaded the Planet that day. I wonder if they have any idea   
what Cash is up to, now?"  
  
"I've still got plenty of friends in the MPD," Henderson   
said. "I can probably get them to make a few inquiries.   
What did they want little Linda for, Clark?"  
  
"That's a good question," Clark said. "They were talking   
about aliens and Linda being part of an invasion force.   
Superman said he thinks they've gone completely around the   
bend, but they're after her mother, so we need to warn her.   
They apparently are waiting for us to return Linda to her   
so they can grab her again. Also, Chief, they recognized   
you as one of the two who helped Linda get away, and they   
got your license, Jim. They'll know who you are soon, if   
they don't already. I already called Alice to let her know   
what happened, but it might not be a bad idea if you two   
were to stay alert until we can figure this out. Superman   
said he was going to keep an eye on you, but he can't be   
everywhere."  
  
Perry nodded. "You're right about that. I better get home   
as soon as I can."  
  
Henderson got to his feet, limping slightly. The damage to   
his leg that had tied him to a desk at the department was   
never really a severe hindrance to him, but rules were   
rules. He'd retired voluntarily at thirty years, gone from   
there to a spot on the Metropolis City Council, and now, as   
the Deputy Mayor, was looking for the top billing in the   
next election campaign when the current mayor announced his   
retirement. Personally, Perry thought the citizens of   
Metropolis didn't know how fortunate they would be if   
William Henderson became the Mayor and fully intended for   
the Daily Planet to soundly endorse his campaign.  
  
"I think I'd better take you, Perry," Henderson said. "If   
anyone tries to stop you, it might make them think twice if   
I'm there. Just let me make a call to some friends of   
mine."  
  
While Henderson made his call, Perry turned to Jim and   
Sandi. "You two better be careful, too. Jim can tell you   
about these Bureau 39 nutcases, Sandi. They're obsessed   
with the idea that they're here to protect Earth from   
little green men from Mars. You better have a good story   
for them, if any of them come calling."  
  
"What did you say? Repeat that, please...." Henderson's   
voice was suddenly sharp, interrupting their conversation.   
He listened for a few seconds and then spoke. "I'll be over   
there shortly, Carl. I know a few things about the   
situation that you don't. Right. See you." He put down the   
receiver carefully.  
  
"What's the matter?" Lois asked after a startled moment.  
  
"If the Bureau 39 guys come around asking questions, you   
can tell them you turned her over to the MPD, who are   
investigating her kidnapping by her stepfather," Henderson   
said, looking a little grim. "Her mother's at headquarters   
now, in hysterics. Apparently, the stepfather was found   
floating in the river half an hour ago. He'd been shot.   
They've arrested the mother on suspicion of murder."  
  
**********  
  
CJ and Wyatt escorted Linda Lennox up the stairs to the   
Kent kids' playroom. CJ could still hear the adults talking   
downstairs, and was just as happy that Linda couldn't hear   
them. What they were talking about was scary. There was a   
group that might work for the government that thought   
Superman was an invader, and thought Linda was, too? What   
kind of nuts could they possibly be?  
  
He looked at Linda, and something in his gut clenched up at   
the thought of anyone trying to hurt her. He still wasn't   
sure what had happened when he walked into the kitchen and   
saw her. She was thin and delicate, with red hair and   
freckles, and had looked scared to death. Then she'd looked   
up and met his eyes with her big, blue ones, and it was as   
if some invisible fist had hit him a sharp clip in the   
stomach. He'd realized suddenly that he was looking at the   
prettiest girl he'd ever seen. Normally, CJ regarded girls   
as one of those unavoidable annoyances that he had to put   
up with, but in that instant, he'd only wanted to stop her   
being scared, and to help protect her any way he could. He   
hadn't been able to do much, but she'd seemed to trust him,   
and that made him want to do more to help her. He'd been   
awfully glad when his mother and father walked in.  
  
He had a lot of faith in his mom and dad--not just because   
Dad was Superman, but because they were Lane and Kent of   
the Daily Planet. In the last few weeks, because of his new   
knowledge of who Superman really was, he'd done a little   
research on the Internet about the things his parents had   
done over the years. It had been a revelation to him. He'd   
always thought of them as just Mom and Dad; he'd been   
stunned at all the things he'd found out about them. He'd   
heard in school about how Superman had fought Lord Nor   
hand-to-hand for the people of Earth. It was a new   
sensation to realize that it had been his dad who had done   
that and that he had risked his life to save all of Earth   
from the New Kryptonians. His mom and dad together had   
almost single-handedly brought down Intergang five years   
ago and the list went on. He'd just about decided he wanted   
to be an investigative reporter like them when he grew up--  
and maybe a superhero like Dad as well. In the meantime,   
though, he was going to help Linda as much as he could,   
even if that was just by staying with her until Mom and Dad   
sorted this mess out.  
  
The children's playroom was actually the half of the attic   
near the back of the townhouse that his parents--actually,   
mostly Dad--had rigged up for them to use a couple of years   
ago. Mom had complained that she couldn't hear herself   
think when the three older kids were fighting over the   
computer in the den and Jimmy had a videotape going in the   
living room. They now had the small television that Dad had   
formerly kept in the kitchen stationed in the corner of the   
playroom, and the four different game systems were hooked   
to it. He and Uncle Jim had put it together one Saturday,   
CJ recalled. Uncle Jim sure knew a lot about that kind of   
thing. There were a couple of bookcases with all the kids'   
books, lots of board games, and Dad had promised that in a   
couple of months, when he and Mom replaced the family   
computer with a new one, they would let the kids have the   
old one for games and homework.  
  
Marta was already there and so were Jonny and Jimmy, when   
Linda, Wyatt and CJ arrived. She was playing Tetris VI,   
which took speed, coordination and tight concentration. CJ   
had beaten it last year and hadn't understood what many of   
his friends thought was so hard about it, although now he   
wondered if the beginnings of his super powers might not   
explain the ease with which he had beaten it. Marta was on   
level 21 and still going strong.  
  
"Not bad," he remarked casually, in passing. Marta didn't   
even turn her head. CJ knew better than to bother her right   
now, if he didn't want her to make his life miserable   
later. His sister was a major pain in the neck a lot of the   
time, but he had to give her credit for one thing; he'd   
back her against any guy in the world who tried to make   
trouble for her. Marta knew how to take care of herself.   
Dad said she reminded him of Lois when he'd first met her,   
and CJ had no trouble at all believing him. The only thing   
that puzzled him was why Wyatt thought she was so cool.   
Most of the time, he had no more use for girls than CJ did.  
  
Linda stopped to watch Marta play, not making a sound.   
After several minutes, with only the cheerful music of the   
game to break the silence, Marta hit pause and turned her   
head. "Hi," she said. "Want to play after me?"  
  
Linda hesitated. "I've never played it," she said, clearly   
longing to try.  
  
"I'll show you how," Marta said, prosaically. "Just watch   
me some more. After I miss, you can start on a lower   
level."  
  
"Okay." Linda turned to look at CJ, who found himself   
nodding encouragingly.  
  
"Watch her," he said, surprising himself. "She's good."  
  
Wyatt was already settling down on the floor to watch, as   
well. CJ stood for a moment, then drifted quietly over to   
the door again and leaned over the railing, listening to   
the adults, two floors below.  
  
"I guess we better get over there and try to straighten   
things out," Uncle Perry was saying. "It wouldn't hurt to   
have Superman tell them what he knows, too."  
  
"You can bet those goons know where she is," his mom was   
saying. "They might have even set it up. You better leave   
Linda here with Sandi and me while you three go. Clark, you   
find Superman and send him over, too."  
  
Henderson's voice broke in. "Keep Linda out of sight,   
whatever you do, Lois. I'll work things out with the guys   
at the precinct. You know," he added, "I figured that once   
I was off the force, I wouldn't get mixed up in this kind   
of thing anymore. I guess I was wrong. It's good to get   
back on the job again, even if it's just for a little   
while."  
  
"No problem, Bill." CJ thought his dad sounded amused.   
"We'll be glad to get you into trouble any time you like.   
We always seem to be able to find it pretty easily."  
  
"I always said the two of you were trouble magnets...." The   
sentence was punctuated by the closing of the front door.  
  
**********  
  
Lois sank down on the living room sofa and reached for the   
last, remaining slice of pizza. Sandi Olsen slowly gathered   
up the boxes for disposal in the trash while Lois chewed on   
the now-tough slice.  
  
"Mom?" Lois looked around at the sound of her oldest son's   
voice. CJ was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking   
unusually solemn.  
  
"What is it, honey?" she asked.  
  
"Those guys that were after Linda. Who are they?"  
  
"Oh." Lois took another bite and patted the place next to   
her. CJ obediently came to sit beside her and waited   
patiently while she chewed and swallowed.  
  
Sandi re-entered the room and was about to take a seat,   
when the characteristic wail of a new baby broke the   
silence. She sighed. "I guess the nap is over. I better go   
get him." Turning, she hurried toward the den where five-  
week old Perry Olsen had been sleeping. Moments later she   
returned with a red-faced and cranky baby.  
  
"He needs to be changed," she explained. "I'll be back in a   
minute."  
  
"Okay. I'll wait until you get back, then. You need to know   
about these lunatics, too." Lois popped the last bite of   
pizza into her mouth. It was amazing how good cold   
pepperoni pizza tasted, after four weeks of sweet and sour   
pork, green salad and iced tea. Not that the other items   
were bad, but she was glad to find something else that   
didn't turn her stomach in the afternoon. Come to think of   
it, those pickled kumquats Clark had brought home from that   
trip to wherever he'd been a couple of days before were   
beginning to sound awfully good. Belatedly she wondered if   
there were any green onions left in the refrigerator.  
  
CJ didn't say anything, but she could tell he was upset.   
Her oldest child never had been much of a worrier; in that   
way, he was different than his father had been as a boy,   
according to Martha Kent. Clark had worried about a lot of   
things, which made sense, as he'd had a lot of things to   
worry about. But CJ, in spite of his identical genetic   
makeup to that of his dad, was the exact opposite. Perhaps   
that was because she and Clark had been able to answer his   
questions in a way that Martha and Jonathan hadn't been   
able to answer Clark's, as much as they might have wanted   
to. Clark still tended to obsess over problems; CJ, at   
least so far, didn't.  
  
Sandi returned to the room, carrying a newly changed and   
much happier baby. She sank down into the rocking chair and   
arranged him on her lap. "Okay, I'm ready."  
  
Lois had been taking the time to organize her thoughts.   
Misleading CJ was the last thing she wanted to do, but it   
went against the grain to scare her ten-year-old son. On   
the other hand, since these nuts had resurfaced he needed   
to know the exact truth, and so did Sandi--suitably edited,   
of course.  
  
"Clark and I ran into Bureau 39 a couple of weeks after   
Superman appeared in Metropolis," she began, abruptly.   
"They barged into the Daily Planet newsroom with a fake   
warrant and tried to get Clark and me to tell them how to   
get hold of Superman. I guess they thought that since we'd   
been the ones to write the first articles about him that we   
must know how to contact him."  
  
"You're kidding," Sandi said.  
  
"Nope. It turned out that they were this ultra-secret group   
that had been formed to protect the Earth from an alien   
invasion. Jason Trask had worked for Project Blue Book way   
back in the sixties. Somewhere along the line, I guess he   
just went completely over the edge because he was out to   
kill Superman. Anyway, they tried to lure Superman in by   
throwing Clark and me out of a plane. Superman showed up,   
all right, and they fired a missile at him, with   
predictable results." She smiled slightly. "After that,   
they vanished for a while, only to resurface again, out in   
Kansas a few months later. They were looking for   
Kryptonite, which no one knew about at the time.   
Apparently, Jonathan and Martha's neighbor, Wayne Irig, had   
found a piece in his field and sent it to a lab to find out   
what it was. The next thing he knew, Bureau 39 showed up.   
Clark and I went out to investigate what we thought was an   
EPA cleanup, and Trask decided that Clark was in mental   
communication with Superman. Believe me, the man was a   
complete psycho. He tried to force Clark to call Superman   
for help by threatening Jonathan, Martha and Wayne."  
  
Sandi shook her head. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, Clark managed to get out of the truck where they'd   
tied him up and tackled Trask. They had quite a fight--they   
even ended up in the pond there in the back yard of the   
house. Clark won, and then Trask tried to shoot him in the   
back. Rachel Brown--she was Rachel Harris back then--shot   
Trask and saved Clark's life. But, when we tried to track   
down the others in the group, they had vanished and the   
government officials swore that Bureau 39 had been closed   
down months before. We've never seen a trace of them since-  
-until now."  
  
"And now they're after Linda for some strange reason,"   
Sandi said, thoughtfully. "Why would they decide a ten-  
year-old girl is an alien invader? Even if they're all   
crazy, they must have some kind of logic they're working   
under--no matter how twisted it is."  
  
"I don't know," Lois said. "As you say, there must be a   
reason, but--"  
  
Sandi continued to rock her baby, a scowl of concentration   
on her pretty face. "I have a kind of wild idea. I'm   
probably way off base, but see what you think. The New   
Kryptonians invaded back in the summer of 1996. What if   
they think Linda is a result of the invasion? She'd be just   
about the right age." She shrugged. "I told you it was   
really wild. Kryptonians look like us, but they aren't from   
Earth. They probably couldn't even have children with   
humans--but you know what has happened to the--um--female   
population of countries here on Earth whenever one group   
invaded another one. It wouldn't be surprising if the New   
Kryptonians--" She glanced at CJ and her voice trailed off.  
  
Lois stared at her, appalled. The idea had never occurred   
to her--and *she* knew very well that humans and   
Kryptonians could have children. There were three solid   
pieces of evidence upstairs in the playroom and three more   
on the way.  
  
"I guess you don't think--" Sandi began.  
  
Lois held up a hand. "Actually, I think you're brilliant,"   
she said. "It doesn't matter if it's possible or not. If   
Bureau 39's bosses think it's possible, then it is as far   
as they're concerned and they're going to act as if it is."  
  
CJ hadn't said anything, but the look he gave Lois told her   
what he was thinking.  
  
She glanced at the window. Outside, the sun had set and a   
check of her watch confirmed that it was later than she had   
realized. She hoped Clark and the other men wouldn't be too   
long. This whole situation scared her in a way she hadn't   
been scared in a long time. Criminals she could cope with,   
but a bunch of people who thought their mission was to save   
humanity from the evil invaders, no matter what the cost,   
was another matter. If they figured out that Linda was   
here, they wouldn't let a little thing like law or respect   
for life stop them. And this bunch of lunatics had a chunk   
of Kryptonite in their possession, which meant that they   
probably had lethal designs on Superman as well. No, not   
probably. They certainly had them. If Cash had tried to   
kill Superman during his fight with Lord Nor, and   
successfully covered the deed as an attempt to neutralize   
Nor and his minions, then he would try again when the   
opportunity offered.  
  
"Mom?" CJ said. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing, honey," Lois said. "Are any of you guys still   
hungry? I could heat up some frozen finger snacks for you."  
  
"No, we're all full," CJ said. "Are you afraid those crazy   
guys will come after Linda, here?"  
  
Lois gave a small laugh. "Sometimes, I think you can read   
minds. Yes, I guess I am."  
  
"If they do, will they hurt us?"  
  
"They might," Lois said. "They don't know she's here,   
though, so I think we're pretty safe."  
  
"I hope Dad gets back soon," CJ remarked, after an uneasy   
pause.  
  
"You and me both," Lois said.  
  
**********  
  
After speaking to Police Chief Dobbs, Superman headed   
toward home, leaving Perry, Jim and Henderson to sort out   
the details of the story with Dobbs and Assistant D.A.   
Peter Llwelling, who had been hastily summoned. He had   
taken longer than he liked to be away from his family,   
given what had happened this afternoon. He couldn't help a   
certain amount of uneasiness about their safety and he   
wanted to check on them before he went to the warehouse   
once more. Dobbs hadn't been particularly happy at the   
information given to him by Superman and the other three   
men, but he reluctantly agreed to release Carolyn   
Abernathy. The thought of a bunch of vigilantes with a   
cause running around the city hadn't exactly thrilled   
Assistant D.A. Llwelling, either, but both had agreed that   
it looked as if Ms. Abernathy was an innocent victim rather   
than a murderer.  
  
He hovered in the air, high over the townhouse and scanned   
it with his x-ray vision, checking, out of habit, to see   
that things were all right before he entered. What he saw   
sent him through the back bedroom window faster than the   
traditional speeding bullet.  
  
Lois lay sprawled across the couch and Sandi lay on the   
rug. Baby Perry, in his infant seat in the den, was   
wailing, unheard by his mother. Of the six older children,   
there was no sign whatsoever.  
  
Lois's heart was beating strongly and so was Sandi's, and   
upon tuning his hearing to detect it, he could hear the   
rapid heartbeats of the three unborn babies as well. With   
that immediate concern alleviated, he trained his hearing   
once more, striving to detect any other sounds.  
  
Above him, he could hear the scurrying of some small   
rodent, and faint squeaks in the region of the attic told   
him that there was a mouse's nest somewhere, but there was   
no sign of anything else. He sniffed, trying to discern any   
odor, and at once detected a scent. Faint traces of some   
sort of anesthetic gas hovered in the living room. The fact   
that the door between the living room and the den had been   
pulled to had probably prevented more than a tiny amount of   
the substance from reaching the baby, he reasoned with the   
part of his mind that wasn't gibbering in blind panic.  
  
He knelt beside his wife, trying hard to control his fear.   
"Lois! Wake up!"  
  
She moaned faintly, but didn't open her eyes. Without a   
pause, he threw open the living room windows, letting in   
the crisp, cold December air. In an instant, he had   
acquired a wet washrag and proceeded to slop water onto   
first Lois's face and then Sandi's.  
  
The baby's wails were becoming frantic. He whisked into the   
den, picked up the screaming infant and returned to the   
living room.  
  
"Lois! Sandi! Wake up!" he pleaded again.  
  
Lois coughed slightly and opened her eyes. She stared at   
him blankly for a moment, then a look of horror crossed her   
face. "Clar--Superman! They--the kids! Are they all right?"  
  
Sandi moaned and opened her eyes, blinking at them, then   
she pushed herself up slowly onto her elbows. "What--" Her   
eyes focussed on Superman, holding Perry in one arm. "What   
happened? Is he all right?"  
  
He turned to give her a hand into the nearest chair. Lois   
struggled to a sitting position, a strained expression on   
her face. "The kids!" she repeated. "Are the kids okay?"  
  
"They aren't here," Superman said, trying to keep his voice   
level. "They've disappeared."  
  
**********  
  
CJ braced his body against the rocking of the car and found   
himself hoping desperately that he hadn't made a mistake.  
  
The grey sedan was moving fast, and he could hear the   
sounds of Jonny and Jimmy sobbing in the rear seat, and the   
harsh voice of one of the men who had invaded the house   
when his mom and Aunt Sandi had collapsed.  
  
He had been holding the baby and walking him back and forth   
in the den while his mom and Aunt Sandi talked softly in   
the living room, when he saw both of them crumple in their   
places. CJ wasn't exactly an expert, but he'd seen plenty   
of spy movies. He pulled the door to the den almost closed   
and rocked baby Perry gently, trying to keep him quiet,   
wrinkling his nose at the sharp, nasty stink of the gas. It   
didn't seem to be affecting him, although he'd gotten a   
good whiff of it before he pulled the door to. After a few   
seconds, three men had walked into the living room from the   
kitchen. They checked both women, and then disappeared   
quietly up the stairs. After a moment or two, CJ heard the   
screams of his younger brothers, and of Linda. Gritting his   
teeth, he stayed where he was. He couldn't help them, and   
if he went running up there right now, he'd only get   
grabbed, too. He heard Wyatt cry out in pain, and his   
sister, Marta's yell of fury, followed immediately by a   
pained bellow, apparently from one of the men.  
  
Scared as he was, he had to grin. They hadn't known what   
they were getting into by making Marta angry. If one of   
them had hurt Wyatt, he'd bet anything that his sis had   
made the guy pay. Marta would never have admitted it to   
anyone, but CJ suspected she liked Wyatt. She was never as   
tough on him as she was on other boys.  
  
Meanwhile, he was thinking fast. The invaders didn't know   
he was here, so that gave him time to do something to stop   
them, but if these were those Bureau 39 goons that Mom had   
told him about--which they probably were--they might just   
have the Kryptonite around somewhere, which meant he   
couldn't call his dad for help. On the other hand, he   
couldn't let them kidnap Linda, or the other kids, either.   
So, what should he do? If he called 911, the cops might get   
here in time, or they might not, and he'd almost certainly   
give himself away to these three creeps.  
  
But, he could find out where they were going if he went   
with them, if he could do it without being caught....  
  
A story his mom had once told him about how she'd followed   
some car thieves to the chop shop that dismantled them for   
parts, popped into his mind and he considered it for just a   
moment. If it had worked for Mom, then it could work for   
him. He was even smaller than she was, so he should fit   
better.  
  
But he'd need a way to call for help when he got to   
wherever it was....  
  
Gently, he put the drowsy baby down in his seat and snapped   
the safety belt over his middle. Satisfied that Perry was   
safe, at least for now, he ventured to open the door a   
crack and peek out.  
  
There was no one in sight. He wrinkled his nose at the   
smell, but it didn't seem to be causing him any trouble.   
Trying to breathe shallowly, he slipped out into the living   
room and closed the door to the den behind him. An instant   
later he was across the room and pulling the cellular phone   
from his mom's purse. He could see that she and Aunt Sandi   
were breathing all right, and the three guys had only been   
holding handkerchiefs over their faces, so it must only be   
some kind of knockout gas. Mom would be okay after she woke   
up. He only hoped she didn't kill him later, after she   
found out what he'd done but he wasn't going to let these   
guys kidnap Linda again--or hurt his family and Wyatt.  
  
The room was thick with the nasty-smelling gas, but it   
still wasn't bothering him at all. That must be one of the   
benefits of the fact that he wasn't human--or maybe his   
partial invulnerability was the reason. Still, he didn't   
dare waste time. He rummaged for another couple of items   
from the purse and hurried toward the kitchen on tiptoe.  
  
There was a nondescript, grey sedan parked in the alley   
behind the house. Even in the dimness, he could see it   
pretty clearly. This must be what Dad meant when he'd said   
that he was going to notice his eyesight getting better and   
better until he could see in the dark as well as he could   
by day. It wasn't that good yet, but it was well on its   
way. Dad had said that it had happened to him that way, but   
he'd deliberately refused to notice the fact because he'd   
been afraid of what was happening to him. That was   
something CJ didn't have to worry about.  
  
He let himself quietly out the gate. The trunk of the car   
was locked, naturally, but CJ wasn't going to let that stop   
him. He wasn't Lois Lane's son for nothing. His mom had   
showed him how to pick a lock one day a few months ago,   
just for the fun of it. In his hand, he clutched the lock   
pick that she kept in her purse. It couldn't be that hard   
to pick the lock of a car trunk, could it? Besides, now he   
could *see* what he was doing if he concentrated hard.  
  
Unfortunately, when the trunk opened, it sprang open   
suddenly and he felt something inside the lock break. Sure   
enough, the trunk wouldn't fasten when he climbed in and   
pulled the thing down. He'd planned on closing it and   
getting out through the rear seat like Mom had when the car   
stopped, but this changed things a little. He was going to   
have to hold the trunk lid shut and hope no one noticed.   
Gripping it with one hand, he thanked his Kryptonian   
heritage that he was already considerably stronger than an   
ordinary ten-year-old boy. Gripping the metal, he waited,   
trying to quiet his nervous breathing and to settle the   
shakiness that was making his heart do back flips in his   
chest. He wasn't Superman, but he was going to show these   
guys that it wasn't just Superman who could cause them   
trouble. Nobody went after *his* family like this and got   
away with it.  
  
The gate banged, and he trained his x-ray vision in the   
direction of the sound. The three men were dragging the   
five, struggling children out, and CJ noted with   
satisfaction that one of them was walking in a distinctly   
uncomfortable fashion. It looked like Marta had gotten him   
where it hurt at least once. Not only that, but now that he   
was looking for it, even with the blurry image supplied by   
his x-ray vision he could make out the fact that the same   
guy's wrist was bleeding heavily enough that blood had   
soaked his cuff and was dripping onto the ground. CJ could   
see a double row of cuts and bruises that looked remarkably   
like human tooth marks on the man's wrist. Involuntarily,   
he winced--if not in sympathy, at least in understanding,   
and found himself hoping conversely, that his sister had   
gotten a major blood vessel or something else useful. That   
would serve the jerk right.  
  
Marta was being held in a hammerlock by one of the other   
men; apparently, they had concluded rightly that she   
deserved the full attention of at least one person. CJ   
grinned slightly at his little sister's language, in spite   
of the situation. Mom and Dad would be appalled at the   
phrase she threw at the guy hanging onto her--or at least   
Dad would, he thought. Mom would probably have just washed   
her mouth out with soap.  
  
The back door of the car opened. CJ watched as the men   
shoved their captives inside, and shut the door. A second   
later, he heard the sound of some kind of locking system   
clicking into place. Someone cursed. "Gimmie something to   
wrap around my wrist. I'm bleeding to death here."  
  
One of the others laughed shortly. "Serves you right for   
underestimating a kid. Cash said one of 'em's a superkid.   
My money's on her. Get in the car and stop whining."  
  
A short time later, CJ found himself bracing his feet and   
free hand against the insides of the car trunk as the   
vehicle rounded a turn in the road. The trunk lid nearly   
jerked out of his grip and he grabbed at it with the other   
hand, sweat breaking out on his face. If the thing popped   
up, it would certainly give him away. Desperately, he   
straightened his legs somewhat and jammed his shoulders   
into the trunk side against the swaying of the vehicle.  
  
They were going fast; that much he could tell. Every time   
they hit a bump in the road or went around a corner, he was   
jerked this way or that and the trunk lid bounced. CJ   
gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and hung on with   
everything he had. Time passed with agonizing slowness as   
they maneuvered through evening traffic. Eventually, he   
began to hear a difference in the sounds of the city around   
him. The honk of horns and other normal background noise   
was becoming more distant, and the nature of the road   
underneath the car's tires changed. The pavement was no   
longer smooth, but uneven and rough, as if the surface was   
in poor repair. Somewhere, he heard the whistle of a train.  
  
Something jabbed irritatingly into his back. It didn't hurt   
exactly, but it wasn't comfortable. He tried to shift   
position and nearly lost his hold on the trunk lid again.   
He'd better just put up with the discomfort, he decided. If   
he did too much squirming around, he could very well make   
things worse.  
  
They rounded another turn and one of the back wheels hit a   
pothole. The rear of the car bounced violently and he   
banged his head hard against something metallic and sharp.   
That one hurt. Probably the jack, he thought, grimly. Mom's   
story hadn't mentioned all the pieces of junk that   
accumulated in the trunk of a car over time. Still, if his   
mother could handle this, he could. He had the advantage of   
burgeoning super powers to help him, and she hadn't, yet   
she'd done it and successfully brought down the bad guys.   
He didn't intend for these particular bad guys to discover   
his presence but at the very least, he could find out where   
they were taking the other kids and call for help.  
  
But who was he going to call? He hadn't had time to think   
about that before, in his hurry. Not his mom. She would   
come along with Dad, and if these characters whipped out   
that Kryptonite stuff, it could hurt the babies. He'd heard   
Dad say there were three of them. He might not be   
particularly thrilled about more brothers and sisters, but   
he darned well didn't want anything happening to them! He'd   
never be able to forgive himself if it did, and it would   
kill Mom and Dad. So Mom was out and so was Dad for almost   
the same reason. But he had a few other choices. Uncle   
Perry was too old, and besides, he'd probably tell Dad. The   
same objection applied to his Uncle Jim, but....  
  
Then the perfect choice hit him. Mr. Henderson was an ex-  
cop, Dad trusted him, and best of all, Mom had the number   
to his cellular phone on speed dial. He'd know what to do,   
and maybe he could keep Superman away from the place.  
  
The faint starlight leaking in through the partially open   
trunk gave him enough illumination to hit the correct   
button. He waited until the car encountered a fairly smooth   
stretch of road, let go of the trunk lid with one hand,   
punched the button for Henderson's phone, and grabbed the   
trunk lid again before it got away from him. With his ear   
against the phone, where it lay on the bottom of the   
compartment, CJ gritted his teeth and waited while it   
automatically dialed and then began to ring.  
  
There was a faint click. A familiar voice said,   
"Henderson."  
  
"Mr. Henderson," he whispered, fairly certain he wouldn't   
be heard by the others above the noises inside the car,   
"this is CJ Kent. I need some help...."  
  
**********  
  
Henderson was speaking to a frantic Lois Lane when his   
cellular phone rang and he answered it crisply.   
"Henderson."  
  
The whisper from the other end was almost drowned out by   
the sound of an automobile engine, but he was barely able   
to make it out and what he heard brought him instantly on   
the alert.  
  
"Mr. Henderson, this is CJ Kent. I need some help."  
  
He glanced at Lois, but asked, "Where are you?"  
  
"In the trunk of a car. There's three guys who've kidnapped   
Linda and the other kids. They don't know I'm here."   
Henderson opened his mouth but the whisper went on. "I've   
got my mom's phone, but I can't talk long--they might hear   
me."  
  
"Listen to me," Henderson said, "leave the phone on. Do you   
know where you are?"  
  
"No. I'll tell you as soon as the car stops."  
  
"I'm going to try to have the phone located," Henderson   
said. "Don't turn it off."  
  
"Okay." The boy's whisper was hard to hear, but Henderson   
caught the next words. "Don't let Superman come. I think   
they have something that can hurt him."  
  
"Don't worry," Henderson said. "I won't. Stay where you are   
if you can."  
  
"Okay." CJ's voice fell silent but Henderson could still   
hear the sound of the motor.  
  
He glanced at Lois. "Do you mind if I use the phone in your   
den? I have to make a private call and I want to keep this   
connection open."  
  
"Who is that?" Lois asked suspiciously.  
  
"Lois, I don't have time to discuss it. I need to make that   
call right now." He was already striding toward the den.   
"I'll be right back."  
  
**********  
  
Superman cruised above the warehouse, scanning it with his   
x-ray vision. The building was dark and one look told him   
that no one was there. The cubicles were deserted and   
bereft of equipment. Even the drawers of the desks were   
empty of materials. He reversed course back toward the   
townhouse. He wouldn't have believed that Superman could   
actually find himself short of breath from sheer panic, but   
he felt as if he couldn't get enough air. His mind screamed   
at him to *do* something, and he'd rarely felt so impotent.   
His children had been kidnapped and there was literally   
*nothing* he could do.  
  
He whisked through the window of the townhouse to find   
Perry, Alice, Jimmy, Sandi and Lois standing about in the   
living room and Henderson speaking forcefully into the   
phone in the den. He caught only the last few words and in   
other circumstances would have winced at the Deputy Mayor's   
last phrase to the hapless subordinate on the other end but   
at this moment, his sense of humor had deserted him.  
  
"Superman, did you find anything?" Sandi asked. She was   
clutching her baby tightly.  
  
He shook his head. "The warehouse is empty," he said.   
"Somehow, they got word."  
  
"But how could they?" Alice whispered. "Unless there's   
someone in the police department...."  
  
"That must be how they knew Linda was here," Sandi said.  
  
"That's what I think," Bill Henderson said, entering the   
room and shutting the door to the den. "What they don't   
know is I've got an ace up my *own* sleeve as well. I've   
got someone using the global positioning system to locate a   
certain cellular phone. And my guy *isn't* in the police   
department."  
  
"What cellular phone?" Lois asked.  
  
"Yours. And as soon as I know where it winds up, we'll know   
where to go to find the kids. And *no*, Lois, you aren't   
going and that's final. And neither are you, Superman."  
  
"Who was that call from?" Lois demanded.  
  
"CJ. He's in the trunk of their car with your phone and   
they don't know it. You've taught that kid of yours better   
than you thought, Lois. Of course, if he were mine, I'd   
probably tan his hide after this stunt."   
  
"Bill, I *have* to go." Clark felt his usually   
stoic Superman persona coming dangerously close to cracking.  
  
"Yes, and so do I!" Lois asserted.  
  
**********  
  
There were times, Henderson thought, that the image of   
cynicism and the poker face that he'd carefully cultivated   
over his thirty years on the police force still stood him   
in good stead. He glanced at Lois and then at Superman,   
wondering if the Man of Steel had any idea how much his   
face was giving away at that moment. He was about to   
refuse, but then a thought made him reconsider. If he had   
Superman along with him, at least he could maintain a   
certain amount of control over what he did. He made a face.   
"Dammit, Superman, I wish I didn't owe you so many favors.   
All right, you can come if you promise to obey every order   
I give you. If I tell you to stop, you stop. Do I have your   
word?"  
  
Clark didn't hesitate. "You have it."  
  
"How about me?" Lois demanded.  
  
"Absolutely not," Henderson said, flatly. "Lois, you're   
pregnant with three babies. I won't risk them, too."   
Especially, he thought, knowing now whose kids those were.   
Oddly enough, his sudden realization wasn't really a   
surprise. He'd have to think about that after this was all   
over, but right now, he needed to focus on the job at hand.   
He had some fanatics to take care of and some kids to   
rescue.  
  
Lois opened her mouth to protest and closed it again,   
seeming to deflate. "Why do you always have to be so   
logical? You're right. But I want to know as soon as   
they're safe."  
  
"I promise you will--if only to keep you from doing   
something stupid," Henderson said, with a sour smile.   
"Lois, I don't want anything to happen to those kids,   
either. That oldest boy of yours has more guts than is good   
for him, but I've got to say he keeps his head. As soon as   
we have a definite location, we'll go. I've got some guys I   
trust assembling right now."  
  
"Where's Linda's mom?" Sandi asked, in a subdued tone.   
"Does she know what's happened?"  
  
"No." Henderson shook his head sharply. "She's safe with a   
friend of mine. I decided she'd be better off if no one   
knew where she was, as soon as you called me. If there's   
someone on the force who's in contact with these   
characters, after what Superman overheard I don't want him   
to be able to find her, and I'd as soon he didn't have any   
idea that we're onto him." He glanced at Lois's strained   
face and allowed himself to reveal a trace of human   
emotion. "Lois, I'm going to get all those kids back safely   
if it's humanly possible. You've got my word on it."  
  
**********  
  
Inside the trunk of the grey sedan, CJ became aware that   
the car was slowing down. Instantly alert, he gripped the   
trunk lid more firmly, holding it as tightly closed as he   
could. The car swayed as it turned and the tires crunched   
suddenly on gravel. He could hear the rattle as small   
pieces of stone were thrown against the undercarriage. For   
some minutes, they moved slowly over the gravel road and   
then the surface changed again to smooth asphalt or   
concrete. CJ felt the vehicle brake, turn slowly, and then   
come to a stop. Through the tiny gap where he held the   
trunk lid closed, he saw a low light come on.  
  
They were still in the open, he realized a moment later.   
The light was on the porch of a big, old house that looked   
as if it had seen better days. There was a clicking sound   
and he realized the car's door locks had been released. He   
watched with his x-ray vision as his brothers and sister   
were dragged out of the rear seat, followed by Wyatt and   
Linda. Marta squirmed determinedly as her captor hauled her   
across the driveway toward the house. The man, apparently   
frustrated by her lack of cooperation, spun her about and   
slapped her, hard. Marta's head snapped sideways, but she   
didn't cry. The look she gave him would have melted lead,   
and CJ gritted his teeth promising himself to make that guy   
sorry if he was ever able to figure out how to do it.  
  
When they disappeared inside, he eased the trunk open and   
slid out onto the ground, crouching low to stay in the   
shadow provided by the body of the car. The trunk popped   
open when he released it, but there was nothing he could do   
about that. Reaching back inside, he retrieved the cellular   
phone.  
  
"Mr. Henderson!" he whispered.  
  
"I'm here, CJ," Henderson's voice replied instantly.  
  
"We've stopped. We're in front of a house--it looks kind of   
old, but sort of fancy, too. They just took the other kids   
inside. What do you want me to do, now?"  
  
"Can you see the address?"  
  
"No, sir," CJ said, the courtesy to adults drilled in by   
his parents coming so instinctively that he didn't notice   
it. "There's no number. There aren't any other houses   
around, even. It looks like we're out in the country,   
somewhere. We came in on a gravel road, and I can see a lot   
of hills with pine trees all over them. I can hear a river   
somewhere, too, but I'm all turned around. I don't know   
which way I'm facing."  
  
"Okay. Try to stay out of sight, CJ. We've got you   
pinpointed and we're on our way. You're northwest of   
Metropolis, in Hobbs Canyon. We'll be there in about twenty   
minutes."  
  
CJ turned his head as a door slammed. Four men had emerged   
from the house and he heard one of them speaking, softly.   
"The signal's coming from this direction--"  
  
"Sir, I've got to move," he whispered. "There's some men   
coming. I think they've picked up the phone's signal,   
somehow."  
  
"Shut it off," Henderson said, immediately. "Get out of   
there, now."  
  
CJ shut off the phone at once and scurried around the car,   
bending as low as he could. The men were approaching, and   
he could hear one of them swearing softly.  
  
"The signal's gone."  
  
"Well, where was it before it disappeared?"  
  
"This way...."  
  
There was a narrow band of shadow that bisected the puddle   
of light that illuminated the driveway where the car had   
parked. CJ looked back at the men who were walking slowly   
toward the car, and saw the weapons in their hands. An idea   
hit him then, something half-remembered from some spy movie   
he'd seen at some time or other. He clicked the phone back   
on, took aim and threw it underhand into the grass in the   
middle of the shadowed lawn some forty feet away.  
  
It landed with a muffled thump in the withered grass and he   
noted the instant interest of the men. "Did you hear that?"  
  
"Yeah. This way. The signal's back...."  
  
They changed direction toward the phone. CJ bent low and   
scurried through the narrow band of shadow toward the hedge   
that bordered the house. Crouching beside it, he tried to   
think, breathing softly. He couldn't stay here. When they   
found the phone they would figure out what he'd done and   
start looking around in other places. Without further   
consideration, he began to make his way toward the rear of   
the house, moving as quietly as he could. At least they   
were probably expecting an adult, not a kid. He'd have a   
better chance of escaping their notice than a full grown   
man, at least for as long as it took for Henderson and his   
people to get here.  
  
Halfway around the house, he encountered a covered porch. A   
network of crisscrossed wooden slats intertwined with dead   
vegetation that ran from the ground to the overhanging   
porch roof, dominated one side of the structure. Pausing   
for only a few seconds to consider the wisdom of the idea,   
CJ swarmed up the rickety, awkward ladder and scrambled   
onto the wooden shingles at the top.  
  
The brittle shingles crackled and crumbled under his feet   
as his weight came down on them, and he tried to move   
carefully toward the actual wall of the house. Shreds of   
wood splinters showered from the roof toward the ground,   
and he found himself wondering if this had been such a good   
idea. If they saw him up here, he'd be trapped for sure.   
Attempts to tread more lightly only resulted in more   
showers of debris. He crouched against the wall of the   
house, trying not to move while he decided what was the   
best thing to do now.  
  
There was a small window, barely larger in width than he   
was, in the wall next to him. He hadn't seen it from the   
ground, but it was certainly there. A torn screen covered   
it, and inside he could see a sliding, glass pane covered   
with dark curtains of some heavy, opaque cloth. But the   
lock that should have secured the glass panel against an   
invader was unlocked. Well, it was a chance. CJ ripped the   
screen wide, leaving the tattered pieces dangling and   
placed his hands flat against the glass of the window,   
pushing upward.  
  
For a moment, the stubborn pane resisted his efforts then   
with a screech that should have awakened the inhabitants of   
every cemetery for miles around, it slid suddenly open.  
  
CJ froze, waiting for the inevitable moment of discovery,   
but nothing happened. After a long, tense period of holding   
his breath, he allowed himself to relax. Incredible as it   
seemed, no one else had heard the noise.  
  
He listened. There was no sound behind the curtains. From   
the front of the house, he heard the voices of the four   
searchers. They had discovered the cellular phone, and the   
open car trunk. They were spreading out to search for   
whoever had arrived in it.  
  
CJ made up his mind, and began to worm his way through the   
window into the old house.  
  
**********  
  
"I could get there faster if I flew," Superman said.  
  
"Forget it." Henderson shoved his foot down on the   
accelerator as hard as he could. Behind him, five other   
cars filled with determined men were racing at reckless   
speed along the highway, sirens blasting. Cars in both   
lanes of the road ahead of them pulled sharply to the sides   
and stopped as the small fleet of civilian cars, armed with   
sirens and flashing lights on their hoods, tore by.  
  
The men were veteran law officers who had worked with him   
during his years as an Inspector with the Metropolis Police   
Department, men whom he knew and had trusted--sometimes   
literally--with his life. More recently, they had worked   
with him more covertly. They'd been the only ones he'd   
dared call out on this action. He was going to have some   
explaining to do to Chief Dobbs later, but he figured that   
was a lot better than having Bureau 39's mole in the police   
department, whomever he might be, give them away in time   
for Cash and his followers to disappear, perhaps along with   
the children. That wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going   
to let them get away again.  
  
They rounded a turn in the road, the back wheels of his car   
skidding slightly, but he never slowed his speed.  
  
"We're going to get these guys, Superman," he said,   
quietly, his mild voice at odds with his intense driving.   
"You know, I promised CJ I wouldn't let you come. He was   
afraid they'd hurt you."  
  
"I know how to stay away from Kryptonite!" Superman   
protested.  
  
"Yes, I know. But four of those kids...." He stopped for a   
moment. "I have a vested interest in getting these guys,   
too," he said, with apparent irrelevance. "You know that my   
first daughter was born seven months after Sue and I   
married, don't you?"  
  
"I suppose," Superman said, evenly. "It isn't important,   
Bill."  
  
"Yes, it is. I've been hunting Bureau 39 ever since I found   
out what they were up to--two years ago," he said. "You   
probably don't know that Sue and I speeded up our wedding   
plans after we found out she was expecting. Terminating the   
pregnancy was never an option. Valerie wasn't mine--except   
that she is, in every other way. She--" He broke off as   
they skidded around another corner and accelerated again.   
The city of Metropolis had given way to countryside. "One   
of the New Kryptonians decided he wanted Sue," Henderson   
said, grimly. "A guy named Jen Mai. Valerie is half-  
Kryptonian."  
  
Superman almost covered his shock, but Henderson could see   
it. "I found out someone was hunting up the records of   
children born at about the right time," he continued. "I   
have some friends who helped me--Lois would say I know guys   
who know guys." He smiled tightly and abruptly killed the   
siren. Ahead, a gravel road branched off to the right. He   
slowed the car and took the road carefully. "Eventually, I   
tracked the inquiries to a secret government agency that we   
both know and love: Bureau 39. They've been trying to root   
out the human-Kryptonian hybrids, Superman--kids who are   
the innocent consequences of the invasion--and kill them.   
I've been close to exposing them twice, and twice they've   
gotten away, leaving me without any evidence. They know   
someone's after them, but I've covered my tracks pretty   
well--I don't think they know I'm their shadow, or I   
probably wouldn't be alive, now. They're not going to get   
away this time. No one--especially not the agent of some   
faceless government agency--is going to take my daughter   
away from me, whoever her biological father may have been."  
  
Superman was silent a moment. "I'm sorry, Bill," he said,   
finally. "I wish I'd known." He paused and added, "And I   
wish you'd asked me for help with Bureau 39. I'd have given   
it to you. I have a few investigative abilities of my own,   
you know."  
  
"Yeah, I suppose I should have, but I had more than one   
secret to keep. This was a secret between Sue and me.   
Valerie doesn't know, anymore than Linda Lennox knows. I'm   
good at keeping secrets--and I had no idea you were keeping   
one just as explosive as I was."  
  
Superman smiled very slightly. "I had a feeling you saw a   
lot more than you should have back there," he said. "You   
were always too observant for my comfort level. It's a good   
thing I trust you as much as I do."  
  
"You need to work harder on your poker face," Henderson   
said. "Your secret's safe with me, Clark. I wanted you to   
know that. Now--" he slowed down until the car was moving   
at a crawl, "you're going to promise me you'll do exactly   
as I tell you. I am *not* going to go back and tell Lois I   
let her husband get killed. And we're not going to let   
these pseudo-Nazi goons get away again."  
  
"You're the boss," Clark said, and Henderson could see that   
he meant it. "Just tell me what you want me to do."  
  
**********  
  
CJ squeezed through the window with no room to spare and   
slid to the floor. He stayed on hands and knees for several   
seconds, listening intently.  
  
Somewhere below him, he could hear the voices of several   
men speaking, calling to each other occasionally. Those   
must be the guys outside hunting for him. There seemed to   
be a lot more than four, now. At some distance from the   
voices, he could hear Jimmy sobbing. His brother's voice   
was coming from somewhere on the same level he was on. The   
kids must be imprisoned on this floor, somewhere not far   
away, probably under guard.  
  
Forcing himself to ignore his brother's crying, he trained   
his hearing on the other voices below them. One of them was   
closer, probably in the house, itself. Whoever he was, his   
voice had a distinct southern accent and seemed, from the   
tone, to belong to someone in authority.  
  
"I want whoever dropped that phone found," it was saying   
and CJ could hear the irritation in it. "I'm gettin' plenty   
tired of this guy, whoever he is. Every time it looks like   
we've hit pay dirt, he shows up and throws a monkey wrench   
in the works. We're gonna find out how these aliens' bodies   
work, and how to kill 'em after they get their powers.   
There's got to be some other weakness than one, lousy green   
rock."  
  
"Yessir."  
  
CJ had his position pinpointed, now. He trained his x-ray   
vision on the floor, trying to locate the man.  
  
The picture was blurry, but he wasn't hard to identify. The   
short, cigar-smoking man in camouflage gear was leaning   
back in a swivel chair, holding up something that glowed   
green with a light of its own. CJ couldn't quite see what   
it was, except that it appeared to be round, and about the   
size of his own palm. Kryptonite! his mind screamed at him.   
Dad had described the vicious stuff to him weeks ago when   
they'd been out in the field behind his grandparents' farm,   
testing his abilities.  
  
"This is the only one I've been able to get hold of in all   
these years," the man said. "The idiots in charge have very   
foolishly ordered the destruction of any Kryptonite that's   
found, anywhere, because it's a hazard to their *hero*,   
Superman. *Hero*!" The speaker snorted. "They'll find out   
the truth when we find our world taken over by them. With   
all my resources, I was only able to get the one piece.   
When the aliens launch their takeover, we're going to need   
more than this thing to defend the human race." He set the   
object down on his desk. "Did you send out reinforcements   
to help with the search?"  
  
"Yessir. I've got everyone but Davisson out looking for   
him. He's guarding the kids."  
  
"Then get out there, yourself." The voice fell silent for a   
moment. "Is Dr. What'sisname on the way?"  
  
"Yes, sir. And the operating room is ready. He should be   
here in half an hour or so."  
  
"Good. Go on, get out there, Captain. Find that guy. The   
Bureau can't afford to be exposed too soon, or the human   
race won't have a chance."  
  
CJ got to his feet, still listening intently. The last   
thing he needed was to get caught right now. Mr. Henderson   
would be here soon with help. The twenty minutes he'd   
promised were almost up. But an idea was forming in his   
mind. He needed to get rid of that stuff, the Kryptonite   
that the guy with the cigar had been playing with. Nobody   
else must be allowed to get hold of it, for all their   
sakes. He couldn't get anywhere near it, any more than Dad   
could, and neither could Marta, Jonny, Jimmy or Linda. But   
Wyatt could.  
  
But, that meant he was going to have to tell Wyatt why.  
  
**********  
  
CJ kept his ears tuned for further developments as he crept   
down the hallway toward the room where the other children   
had been imprisoned. He had to watch his step. The ancient   
carpet had its share of tatters and holes, and places where   
it had come loose from the tacking that had held it to the   
floor. His super-hearing had gotten much more effective   
after his dad had helped him learn how to focus it   
precisely, and that was a big help. He could hear the slow   
approach of several automobiles over the gravel road, and   
hoped sincerely that Henderson was almost there. He was   
going to have to do this fast, though. As much as he   
trusted Mr. Henderson, if Dad wanted him to know about   
Superman, it was up to Dad to tell him. And no one else was   
going to get his hands on the Kryptonite if CJ had anything   
to say about it.  
  
As he moved, he was considering two things: how to distract   
the guard in front of the door long enough to get the kids   
out and how much to tell Wyatt. There was no way he was   
going to tell him about Dad and the others--not yet,   
anyway. He didn't think Dad and Mom would like it. There   
had to be a way to get his help without giving away Dad's   
secret. On the other hand, it was probably going to be   
pretty obvious that CJ couldn't get near the Kryptonite.  
  
Suddenly he knew what he was going to say. Dad had gotten   
along for years by telling the truth--but not all of it. CJ   
trusted Wyatt, but that wasn't really enough. Wyatt wasn't   
quite ten years old; he was pretty reliable, but he was   
still a kid, and it was possible he might make a mistake   
and let the truth slip. CJ had the right to risk himself,   
but not his family. That was up to them, not him. But part   
of the truth might do, at least for now.  
  
The upstairs of the house seemed to be laid out on three   
sides of a square. There was a corner ahead of him, and the   
hallway turned to the left. Some distance beyond that, it   
turned left again. Through several walls, he could see the   
kids, sitting forlornly in a small, dusty bedroom, and   
outside their door, a single guard, just as he had   
expected. Jonny had stopped crying although he was still   
sniffling a little, and Linda was comforting Jimmy. Marta,   
on the other hand, was prowling around the room like a   
caged tiger looking for a way out.  
  
CJ rounded the first corner and passed a wide staircase   
curving gracefully downward, the broad steps uncarpeted and   
scuffed. He'd hate to slip on that, he thought. Nearly   
opposite it, was a closet containing several very dusty   
pieces of clothing and a clutter of ancient junk on the   
floor and hanging from hooks on the walls. CJ grimaced. He   
was starting to get a mild headache from all this   
unaccustomed use of his x-ray vision, but it certainly   
saved him from having to open every door and check to see   
what was inside.  
  
Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. That was it. Now he knew   
exactly what to do. It might be a little risky, but it   
wouldn't really be that hard....  
  
A few minutes later, he paused just around the corner from   
the room where the kids were imprisoned and took a deep,   
steadying breath. A man was sitting in a folding chair just   
outside the door and, unlike the two downstairs, this guy   
wasn't wearing a uniform. Instead, he was casually attired   
in jeans and a T-shirt. CJ's eyes widened and under his   
nervousness, he felt a tiny bit of anticipation. That was   
the guy who'd hit Marta. Talk about luck! If he could pull   
this off, he might even enjoy it--just a little.  
  
Feeling slightly guilty but determined, he surveyed the   
area, making sure he knew exactly what he was going to do.   
Then, he stepped out from behind his cover.  
  
"Hi," he said, calmly. "Catch!" He threw the ancient   
baseball he had retrieved from the closet as hard as he   
could at the guard's astonished face, turned and ran.  
  
Behind him, his super-hearing picked up the sound of a loud   
smack as the ball impacted on some part of the guard's   
anatomy, and a very human yell of pain and anger. There was   
a metallic crash as the folding chair went over on the   
floor and feet pounded after him. CJ ducked into his hiding   
place behind the next corner and waited, watching with his   
x-ray vision. He suspected he was going to have a monster   
headache after this was all over, but if things worked out   
all right, it would be worth it.  
  
The guard came thundering around the corner, and CJ   
congratulated himself briefly on his aim at the sight of a   
red, swollen mark encompassing the man's left eye and part   
of his cheek where the ball had apparently struck. Now, if   
the guy took the bait, he would be okay. If not, he might   
be in trouble.  
  
The guard skidded to a halt, staring for an instant at the   
piece of cloth protruding from the crack between the closet   
door and the frame. He yanked the door open with an   
exclamation of satisfaction. "Gotcha, you little--"  
  
CJ charged. His shoulder struck the guard at waist height   
in the middle of his back, shoving him forward into the   
closet and the tangling pieces of clothing hanging from the   
clothing rack. It took only an instant and he had slammed   
the door after the man. He thrust the key, which had been   
hanging by the door a few moments earlier, into the lock   
and turned it with a decisive click. That should hold him   
for a bit. The doors of the old house seemed to be heavy   
and solidly made, but CJ had very little faith in the   
lock's holding for more than a few minutes. He returned to   
his previous hiding place to retrieve the old, metal   
ironing board from the spot where he had stashed it   
earlier. With care, he braced it tightly against the door   
under the knob, with the other end rammed firmly against   
the railing of the staircase. That should hold him long   
enough for CJ to get the kids out, though he didn't want to   
count on it for much longer than that.  
  
The guard was yelling and pounding on the door, but his   
cries were muffled by the thickness of the panel. CJ didn't   
envy him, stuck in the cramped, dusty closet, but he didn't   
stop to worry about it. He hurried back toward the room   
where the kidnapped children were imprisoned.  
  
Marta whirled toward him, eyes wide when he yanked the door   
open. Her mouth fell open, but for once, he managed to jump   
in ahead of her questions. "Come on! Let's get out of here   
before we get caught!"  
  
"CJ?" His sister stared at him in shock. "What are you--"  
  
"Come on!" CJ gestured them out into the hall. "Don't make   
any noise, okay?"  
  
After a stunned second, they obeyed him. CJ pointed down   
the hall in the opposite direction from which he had come.   
"That way!" he whispered. "Hurry!"  
  
**********  
  
"How did *you* get here?" Marta whispered, accusingly.  
  
"Tell you later. I don't have time to explain." CJ checked   
back the way they had come, but so far, no one appeared to   
have noticed the change in their status. "Mr. Henderson's   
on his way. You guys just have to stay out of sight until   
they get here." He pointed to the cord hanging from the   
ceiling. "If Wyatt and I give you a boost, can you grab   
that?"  
  
"Sure." Marta cast him a puzzled look. "Why?"  
  
"That's a door to the attic. If you pull it down, the   
stairs will come down and you can go up them and pull the   
door up behind you."  
  
"How do *you* know that?"  
  
CJ sighed deeply. "Because I saw one once, at somebody's   
house. Can we argue later? I don't want them to catch you   
guys again."  
  
"Us--what about *you*?"  
  
"I've got to do something really important." At the   
rebellious expression on her face, he added, "Somebody's   
got to stay with the little kids 'til Mr. Henderson gets   
here. Come on, Marta. That guy that hit you could get out   
of the closet any minute, and if he does, he's gonna be   
pretty mad."  
  
"How did *you* know about that?" she demanded.  
  
"Because I saw him, dopey! He's locked in a closet, but he   
might not stay there very long. Hurry up, will you?"  
  
She glared at him for a minute, then gave in. "Okay, but   
you're gonna explain it to me later!"  
  
CJ didn't give her a chance to change her mind. He glanced   
at Wyatt. "You take one side and I'll take the other.   
Ready....?"  
  
Implementing CJ's plan didn't take long. The steps hadn't   
been used recently, judging by their reluctance to budge,   
but it only took a couple of minutes to get them down to   
floor level. Marta looked doubtfully at the dark opening   
above them. "You want us to go up in *there*?"  
  
Wyatt looked questioningly at CJ, who nodded. He looked   
back at Marta. "I'm game if you are."  
  
"I need you to help me," CJ said. "Come on, Marta. You're   
not scared, are you?"  
  
Marta bristled. Wyatt saved the situation and forestalled   
another argument by saying, "Marta's not scared of   
anything, CJ."  
  
CJ saw Marta's face change. He hastily retrieved his   
misstep. "Look, I know it's dark, but you'll be pretty safe   
up there. Put something heavy over the hole so if anybody   
tries to get in they'll have to push it off. Mr. Henderson   
ought to be here in a few minutes." He turned to Linda, who   
was standing next to him. "Can you help her, Linda?"  
  
Linda nodded. She turned to Marta. "I'm going," she said,   
suddenly. "I'm not afraid of spiders or anything." Without   
another word, she began to ascend the ladder.  
  
That seemed break the impasse. Jonny and Jimmy followed   
Linda up the steps. Marta put one foot on the bottom step   
and looked at the two boys. "You guys be careful," she   
said, unexpectedly.  
  
"We will. Hurry!" CJ glanced down the hallway again. Still   
nobody, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was   
running out of time.  
  
Marta went quickly up the stairs. As soon as she   
disappeared, the two boys pushed up the bottom section and   
the attic stairs folded up neatly. The ceiling trapdoor   
swung shut with a soft, sigh of air, leaving the cord   
swaying slightly. Wyatt looked at CJ. "Now what?" he asked.  
  
"Come on," CJ said. "We need to get something. There's a   
guy down there--he's got a chunk of Kryptonite; you know:   
the stuff that can hurt Superman. He's crazy--he thinks   
Superman is some kind of evil invader and wants to kill   
him. We've got to get hold of it before Mr. Henderson gets   
here."  
  
"How do you know all this?" Wyatt asked. "What's going on?   
How did you get here, and how come those weirdoes grabbed   
us, anyway?" He rubbed his arm, and CJ abruptly noticed the   
large bruise in the shape of a hand that discolored the   
skin. He swallowed.  
  
"Look, I'll explain it all to you later, okay? I need you   
to help me now, though."  
  
"Okay. What do we do?"  
  
"Well--" CJ pointed. "There's some back stairs that way.   
The last I saw, the guy was in his office and the stuff was   
on his desk. I'm gonna try to distract him, and you run in   
and get the Kryptonite. It's a piece of green rock."  
  
"I dunno," Wyatt said. "Why don't I distract him and you   
can go get it? You know what it looks like."  
  
"Because I can't," CJ said. "Besides, he might catch you."  
  
"He might catch you, too," Wyatt said, reasonably. "Why   
can't you?"  
  
CJ swallowed. He'd hoped to avoid answering the question,   
but Wyatt, as he expected, was too curious. The little guy   
didn't make straight A's in fifth grade because he was   
stupid. Well, here went nothing.  
  
"I can't touch the stuff," he said. "I can't even get near   
it, because it'll hurt me, too--just like Superman."  
  
Wyatt cast a skeptical glance at him. CJ took a deep   
breath. "These guys--Bureau 39--they're crazy, Wyatt.   
Remember the stuff we studied in history about the New   
Kryptonian invasion, and how Superman fought the leader--  
Lord Nor?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"And you remember how the Army hit them with poison gas   
that had Kryptonite in it? It killed Lord Nor and his top   
lieutenants, but it didn't quite kill Superman."  
  
"Everybody knows about that," Wyatt said, impatiently.  
  
"Well, these guys--they think Earth is being invaded again.   
They think that some kids here on Earth are half-  
Kryptonian, from when the New Kryptonians invaded, and   
these Bureau 39 creeps think they're gonna try to take over   
Earth. They think Linda's one because she was born about   
the right time."  
  
Wyatt looked slightly doubtful. "That's dumb. But--"  
  
"I heard the guy with the Kryptonite say that they're   
bringing in a doctor to find out how her body works," CJ   
said. "I think they're gonna dissect her, if we don't stop   
'em." He swallowed. "Wyatt, they're right about the half-  
Kryptonian kids--but the kids aren't trying to take over   
the Earth. They don't even know what they are yet."  
  
"Then, how come you know about it?" Wyatt asked.  
  
"You know I'm adopted, right?"  
  
Wyatt nodded. "Yeah. But--"  
  
"I found out about it last month--right after Superman   
saved us from Biff and the other guys that day. I didn't   
know before that. Superman said he started getting his   
powers when he was about ten and that I was starting to get   
'em, too. Remember how I beat Biff at arm-wrestling? He   
says that some day I'll be like him, but that won't be for   
a long time and he said I shouldn't tell anybody unless I   
really trusted them, because if bad guys found out about   
it, they'd try to kill me and my family. Anyway," CJ   
concluded, "that's why I can't get near the Kryptonite.   
It'll hurt me, too." He looked Wyatt straight in the eye.   
"Now, are you gonna help me, or not?"  
  
Wyatt stared back at him for several seconds, and finally   
nodded. "Okay. You're gonna tell me more about it, later,   
aren't you?"  
  
"Sure. But let's hurry. Mr. Henderson's people are almost   
here."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"'Cause I can hear 'em coming. Come on. The stairs are   
through here." He pushed aside a tattered curtain to reveal   
a wooden door, which, when opened, revealed a narrow,   
uncarpeted flight of stairs.  
  
"How did you know that was there?" Wyatt asked.  
  
"Sh," CJ said. "I'm trying to hear."  
  
"Oh." Wyatt fell silent and CJ strained his ears.  
  
"I don't hear anybody down there," he said, after a minute.   
"Come on."  
  
The stairs emerged into the kitchen, of all places. CJ   
rubbed his forehead and squinted his eyes, peering around   
with his x-ray vision. The picture was blurrier than ever   
and his head started to throb but he could make out the man   
in camouflage gear standing by the window in what must be   
the living room, peering out into the dark. In his office,   
the chunk of Kryptonite was lying on his desk next to a cup   
of what was probably coffee.  
  
"What're you doing?" Wyatt asked.  
  
"Checking where people are. The guy's looking out the   
window in front of the house. Everybody else is wandering   
around outside."  
  
"How do you know that?"  
  
"X-ray vision. I told you I was starting to get some of   
Superman's powers."  
  
"Cool. Do you have to switch it on, or something?"  
  
"Huh? What are you talking about?"  
  
Wyatt shrugged. "I saw you rub your head. Do you have to   
switch it on?"  
  
"Oh." CJ grinned a little. "No. I've never used it this   
much before and it's making my head hurt. Come on. Mr.   
Henderson will be here in a minute."  
  
**********  
  
"What's going on?" Henderson asked.  
  
Superman, Henderson and nine other men were bunched in a   
small, determined group at the row of pine trees that   
marked the edge of the old Packard estate. The Man of Steel   
drifted slowly upward until his feet were some ten feet   
above Henderson's head. After a long moment, he floated   
down again.  
  
"There are about twenty armed men wandering around the   
grounds," he reported. "They're wearing night vision   
goggles and they seem to be searching for something--or   
someone."  
  
"CJ," Henderson said. He gave a soft laugh. "I guess they   
haven't caught him, yet. That kid's got talent."  
  
"Definitely," Superman said, and Henderson heard the barest   
note of pride in his voice.  
  
"Is Cash one of them?" he asked.  
  
"No. Goons A and B are there, and I recognize a few of the   
others. I think Cash must be inside, still."  
  
"All right, here's what I want you to do, Superman. Fly in   
overhead and start picking off the guys outside as quietly   
as you can. I don't want them to have any idea that   
anything's happened until it's too late--but don't set foot   
inside. If the Kryptonite's here, you can bet Cash has it   
and I don't want him to have any warning--or any chance to   
destroy the evidence--got it?"  
  
"Got it."  
  
"All right, go."  
  
Superman rose silently upward again and vanished. Henderson   
turned to his men. "Everybody got your instructions   
memorized?"  
  
Determined nods all around answered him.  
  
"Okay, put on your night eyes and move out."  
  
**********  
  
He wasn't going to be able to get this guy to chase him, CJ   
thought. The man--Colonel Cash, according to the   
conversations he'd overheard--didn't look as if he'd done   
any running in years. They were going to have to figure out   
how to get him out of the living room by some other means.   
The den, where Cash had set up his office, opened off the   
living room, and Wyatt wasn't going to be able to get in to   
swipe the Kryptonite with him standing right there....  
  
CJ sighed. He'd heard the distinctive swoosh of air over   
the house twice now, which told him that his dad was in   
action out there somewhere, doing something. He should have   
known that even Mr. Henderson couldn't keep him away   
altogether, but at least he wasn't coming into the house.   
He was being pretty quiet, too. If CJ hadn't had super-  
hearing, he wouldn't have noticed the sound.  
  
"What are we gonna do?" Wyatt asked.  
  
CJ looked around, searching for an idea. The kitchen was   
large, compared to the kitchen in his home, but the   
appliances looked like something out of an old movie, he   
thought--a *very* old movie. There wasn't even a   
dishwasher, and the stove and refrigerator looked as if   
they had been built in the dark ages. In one corner a   
small, narrow door opened to reveal an antique water   
heater, and next to it on the wall was one of the boxes   
like the one that held the circuit-breakers for the   
townhouse where he lived.  
  
A sudden idea hit him and he opened the box.  
  
For a moment, he was puzzled. CJ had, more than once, had   
to go reset the circuit breaker. The townhouse was pretty   
old, although it looked modern compared to this crumbling   
building, and every now and then someone would overload a   
circuit. Marta was always running the microwave without   
making sure the dishwasher wasn't running--or vice versa--  
and blowing out the power in the kitchen. CJ was usually   
the one that Mom sent down to the basement to fix the   
problem, since he was the tallest. What he was looking at   
didn't look anything like the circuit breaker box that he   
was used to.  
  
Wyatt came up beside him. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I've never seen a circuit-breaker box that looked like   
this."  
  
"Oh," Wyatt said, in a matter-of-fact manner. "Those are   
fuses. You screw them in. They work like the circuit-  
breakers in your house."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Hank showed me how to fix 'em at our apartment--in case   
one of 'em blew when he wasn't there. It happens all the   
time."  
  
"Well, do you know how to *un*-fix 'em? I want to put out   
the lights in here."  
  
Wyatt caught on at once. "Sure. You just unscrew 'em from   
the sockets. Like this." He proceeded to demonstrate.  
  
Nothing seemed to happen, but it was probably for some   
other part of the house. CJ set about unscrewing a second   
one. The kitchen light went out, leaving them in darkness--  
at least, CJ realized, it was darkness for Wyatt. He could   
see pretty clearly.  
  
"Did Hank tell you how to shut off all the power at once?"   
he asked, without any real expectation of an answer.  
  
"Sure," Wyatt said. "It's the big switch right above the   
box, I think."  
  
CJ couldn't quite reach the switch, even standing on his   
toes. There was, however, a kitchen stool over by the   
counter and he hurriedly went to acquire it. Once the item   
was in place, he scrambled onto it and threw the switch.  
  
The almost unnoticeable background hum of power died.  
  
"Hey!" The bellow came from the living room. CJ grasped   
Wyatt's wrist and tugged him across the room toward the   
hallway. Avoiding the man who stumbled from the living room   
into the hall wasn't difficult for CJ. His night sight   
might not be as good as his father's, but it was a lot   
better than an ordinary man could claim. He and Wyatt   
stepped into the spacious dining room which opened off the   
hall while Colonel Cash went by, feeling his way with   
outstretched hands.  
  
Once the man had passed by, CJ again headed for the living   
room. When they reached it, the door to the den, opening   
off the living room, was obvious; an eerie glow of a pale,   
ghostly green filled the opening. CJ let go of Wyatt's arm.  
  
"That's it," he whispered. "I can feel it a little, even   
this far away. Get it. Hurry."  
  
Guided by the green light, Wyatt crossed the room and   
vanished into the den. CJ moved backward a few steps. The   
feeling was a strange and unpleasant one. His joints had   
begun to twinge, his stomach felt mildly queasy and his   
muscles ached as if they had been overworked. He felt   
distinctly disinclined to get any closer to the poisonous   
chunk of rock.  
  
The green glow vanished suddenly, although the effects of   
the Kryptonite radiation remained. CJ guessed Wyatt had   
concealed the stuff inside a bag or box. That was smart, he   
thought. It would make it that much harder for Cash to   
find.  
  
He jumped when the lights came back on. Cash had found the   
power switch. He ducked to the side, out of sight of anyone   
in the hall, hoping that Wyatt would step on it. He could   
hear faint sounds as if his friend were rummaging around in   
the desk drawers or something. What was he doing in there?  
  
Cash hurried back into the room and headed immediately for   
the den. CJ did the only thing he could think of: he stuck   
out his foot. Cash tripped and went down on his face with a   
yell of surprise. "Wyatt!" CJ shouted.  
  
"Run!" Wyatt yelled back, and the door of the den slammed   
shut.  
  
There wasn't anything else to do. CJ turned and ran.  
  
He ducked into the kitchen, looking around for a place to   
hide, but as he had known, there wasn't any real place once   
the man knew he was here. He bolted for the stairs. Cash   
came lumbering into the room as he took the steps two at a   
time and CJ could hear him puffing and wheezing as he   
followed. He emerged into the upstairs hall and raced down   
it, scanning the rooms with his x-ray vision, looking   
desperately for a place to hide. What he saw waiting for   
him made him put on the brakes.  
  
Striding purposefully down the hall, the guard whom he had   
locked in the closet was headed toward the sound of his   
footsteps and he didn't look happy. In one hand, he   
clutched his sidearm. CJ yanked open a bedroom door and   
ducked inside just as Cash arrived at the top of the stairs   
behind him. CJ slammed the door and rammed the locking bolt   
home.  
  
He knew that wouldn't hold for long, especially against the   
guard's pistol. Cash was armed, too, and he didn't want to   
think what the two would do to him if they caught him. He   
pushed a chair under the knob and ran to the window.   
Peering down, he gulped. It was a good fifteen- or twenty-  
foot jump into bushes, but the crash of a heavy shoulder   
rammed against the door made him decide.  
  
He yanked at the window. It was stuck, and he didn't have   
time to argue. He backed up, gathering what was left of his   
nerve. For a second, he hesitated, but the explosion of a   
gunshot in the hall jolted his faltering courage. He was   
partially invulnerable. With luck, he wouldn't break   
anything too important.  
  
There was a second shot, and a third. The wood of the door   
splintered. CJ ran at the window, closed his eyes and   
jumped.  
  
**********  
  
He went through the window headfirst with his head tucked   
to his chest and his arms across his eyes to protect his   
face from flying glass. He barely felt the shock as his   
head struck the windowpane and the shattering glass didn't   
cut him as far as he could tell. Then the ground was   
rushing at him and he braced himself for the crash.  
  
It didn't come. Instead of falling, he was floating toward   
the ground, not lightly but slowly, like something out of a   
movie. His feet came down onto the lawn, several feet   
beyond the spiky plants and he stumbled and went to his   
knees on the dead grass. The crusting of frost crunched   
under his weight and here and there, isolated patches of   
old snow from the snowfall last week glinted dully at him   
in the faint moonlight.  
  
Considerably shaken, CJ stopped to take several deep   
breaths.  
  
A shot from above struck the ground to his right, and he   
rolled sideways. One of the men was firing at him from the   
broken window. He scrambled to his feet with the impetus of   
sheer terror and ran. Another shot went past his head,   
close enough for him to feel the wind against his cheek.  
  
A pair of hands grabbed him as he rounded the corner of the   
house an instant later and dragged him against the wall of   
the building. CJ struck out in blind panic, but someone   
seized his flailing hands and a voice whispered in his ear,   
"CJ, it's all right! It's me!"  
  
He wrenched his head back and discovered that he was   
looking into the face of William Henderson. The relief was   
so great that he felt dizzy for an instant. Henderson   
released him and let him sit down.  
  
"Are you okay, kid?" he asked.  
  
Numbly, he nodded. "Yeah, but Wyatt's still in there! And   
the other kids--"  
  
"Take it easy. We've got it under control." Henderson's   
voice was low and calm as he pointed. CJ gulped at the   
sight of three men going in the front door of the big   
house. As he watched, Superman appeared from the direction   
of the road and stationed himself high above the building,   
apparently to watch for escapees. "We've got all the exits   
covered, son. It's all right. Cash and his buddies aren't   
going to get away this time."  
  
CJ leaned back against the wall of the house feeling tears   
welling in his eyes. He wasn't going to cry in front of   
Henderson, he told himself fiercely, wiping them away with   
the back of his hand.  
  
Henderson didn't seem to see them. He squatted down by CJ,   
resting a hand lightly on his shoulder. "You know, kid, if   
I was your dad, I'd be pretty proud of you--but I'd tan   
your britches, all the same." He grinned as CJ looked up at   
him, startled. "I doubt it would do much good, though,   
considering who your mom is. Do me a favor, though, would   
you?"  
  
"What?" The word was a little wavery, but Henderson still   
didn't appear to notice.  
  
"Wait until you get a little older before you do something   
like this again, will you?"  
  
"I didn't exactly do it on purpose--at least not all of it.   
It just sort of happened."  
  
Henderson looked at him, obviously skeptical. "Uh-huh. If I   
didn't know there was no Lane in you, I'd swear that was   
your mom talking, kid. I don't want to have to bail you out   
too many times before you're grown, okay? I've got enough   
grey hair as it is, and your mom and dad put a lot of it   
there." He gave CJ a pat on the shoulder. "You did a good   
job tonight, CJ. Thanks."  
  
CJ took a deep breath and pushed away the urge to cry.   
"You're welcome," he said.  
  
**********  
  
The prisoners weren't talking. Henderson had expected   
nothing less, but he didn't look worried, Clark saw. The   
evidence they had found in Cash's office in the old Packard   
house, was more than enough to convict the rogue agency   
twenty times over. Cash's demand for a warrant produced a   
grin from Henderson. "Don't need one," he told the red-  
faced man. "We have a witness."  
  
Clark stood still, arms folded and watching Cash with an   
expressionless face. He had to work to keep it that way.   
He'd been securing his last captive next to the cars when   
he'd heard the gunshots and realized that the renegade   
colonel was attempting to kill CJ. His son must have moved   
pretty fast, however. By the time he'd realized the danger,   
CJ was around the corner of the house, with Henderson. He   
was going to have to reassess his son's developing powers   
in the next few days, he thought. CJ seemed to be   
developing them at a somewhat faster rate than anyone had   
expected--of course, the only example anyone had to judge   
them by was his own, and he hadn't realized anything was   
happening at first, and then tried to pretend it wasn't   
happening for much longer. And after he couldn't pretend   
any longer, he'd deliberately tried *not* to use them. If   
he'd known and accepted them earlier, he might have   
discovered their use sooner than he had.  
  
Wyatt and CJ had their heads together, and he resisted the   
urge to eavesdrop on their conversation. If they had shown   
him anything tonight, it was that he could trust the two of   
them. In his hand, he held a bag that was designed to   
protect film from x-ray machines at security checkpoints.   
Wyatt had handed it to him quietly a few moments after he   
had emerged from Cash's office, where he'd barricaded   
himself.  
  
"It's Kryptonite, Superman," he'd said. "You better do   
something with it."  
  
Marta and Linda had Jonny and Jimmy by the hands. As he   
watched, the two older boys walked over to them, and he saw   
CJ reach out to take Linda's free hand. The expression on   
his face--and hers--said it all, and he had to smile. CJ   
had developed his first crush and Linda had found her hero.   
It would probably be over in a week, he thought, but CJ   
would never look at girls the same way again.  
  
Then, a sobering thought hit him. CJ was a full Kryptonian,   
and Linda was probably half. The bond between Lois and   
himself had formed instantly and if it was the same with CJ   
and Linda, it was quite possible that he was looking at his   
future daughter-in-law. He might have to take a closer   
interest in Linda Lennox than he'd thought--especially if   
she started to develop super powers in the near future. And   
there was the matter of Valerie Henderson, and who knew how   
many other half-Kryptonian children out there. It looked as   
if he was going to be much busier in the near future than   
he'd at first anticipated.  
  
Henderson approached him, finally done with seeing to the   
disposition of the prisoners. "We've got transportation   
coming," he said. "Dobbs isn't very happy, but there isn't   
much he can do. *I* didn't make any arrests, after all. My   
men did."  
  
"Any information on the mole?" he asked.  
  
"We're making progress," Henderson said. "We'll get him. I   
just called Lois, like I promised, by the way."  
  
"Thanks," Superman said. "I better get the kids home."  
  
Henderson nodded. "Borrow my car," he said, tossing him the   
keys. "Just drop it off here afterwards."  
  
"Thanks," Superman said, again. "Bill, I can't thank you   
for what you've done for me. If you ever need anything, all   
you have to do is ask."  
  
Henderson smiled, dryly. "I may take you up on that," he   
said. "Valerie's going to need some help, I think."  
  
"You've got it."  
  
"I'll give you a call. Now, take those kids home."  
  
Superman nodded. He raised his voice slightly. "CJ, you and   
the other kids come with me. I'm going to take you back to   
the Kents' house. Any of you guys object to flying in a   
car...?"  
  
**********  
  
"You know," Lois said, "in a way, it's kind of nice to know   
we're not the only ones in this situation."  
  
"What situation?" Clark asked.  
  
"You know--raising superkids."  
  
"Yeah. I bet we're the only ones around with more than one,   
though."  
  
"Well--yeah." Lois looked over to where CJ, Wyatt, Linda,   
Marta, Jimmy and Jonny were grouped around the television.   
"You don't really think CJ and Linda are--"  
  
"It's possible," Clark said. "We're going to need to keep   
an eye on them, anyway."  
  
"Yeah." Lois eyed the little redheaded girl thoughtfully,   
hoping he was wrong. Linda was thin and freckle-faced, and   
not at all the kind of girl she'd thought of as a potential   
mate for CJ, but then, as she'd often told Clark, CJ wasn't   
the same as his father, regardless of their genetics. And,   
in spite of all that that had happened to Linda this   
evening, she seemed to have come through it remarkably   
well. Maybe there was more to her than it looked like on   
first impressions. "I guess it might be okay--not that CJ   
would let anything either of us said make a difference   
about who he decides to marry, anyway."  
  
They turned to descend the attic stairs. Clark was keeping   
an unobtrusive hand on her elbow, Lois noticed, but she   
didn't say anything. Her husband would always be protective   
of her, no matter how often she ordered him not to be, but   
at least nowadays he wasn't nearly so blatant about it.  
  
"I don't think we need to worry about it for a few years,"   
Clark said, resuming the conversation. "At least it's a lot   
better than a birth-marriage." Lois made a face. "Don't   
remind me. So, when is Inspector Henderson going to get   
back here with her mother, anyway?"  
  
"When he gets finished with all the red tape, I guess,"   
Clark said. "Did you ever call Wyatt's parents, by the   
way?"  
  
"I couldn't get hold of them," Lois said. "They don't   
answer their phone. I did leave a message on their   
answering machine, though."  
  
"Well," Clark observed, "I guess Laura and Pete are having   
a good time in Las Vegas. I can't say I really blame them.   
Those out-of-country construction jobs must be tough.   
Imagine if we only saw each other three or four times a   
year."  
  
"Maybe that's why they have so many kids," Lois suggested.  
  
Clark laid his hand across the almost unnoticeable   
roundness of her abdomen. "I guess we'll be in no position   
to talk in a few months."  
  
"That's a little different," Lois said. "We didn't exactly   
plan on triplets."  
  
"True. Oh, well, we can tell them when they get back. I   
hope Laura won't have a complete breakdown when she finds   
out what happened."  
  
"I don't think much fazes Laura," Lois said. "I'll try to   
downplay it as much as I can, though."  
  
"I think that's a conversation I don't want to hear," Clark   
observed. "We're going to have to talk to Sandi, you know.   
Jim says he thinks she suspects."  
  
"Alice thought so, too. I guess the circle is going to be   
expanded a little wider, huh?"  
  
"Well, at least they're all good friends," Clark said. "We   
probably couldn't have kept up the secret this long without   
their help."  
  
"Probably not," Lois said. "Superman is kind of a team   
effort, after all. And now, Henderson knows, too?"  
  
"Yeah. But he and Sue have Valerie to worry about, you   
know."  
  
"Are you going to teach her how to use her powers--if she   
develops any? We don't really know if half-Kryptonians will   
have super powers, yet."  
  
"I think I don't have a choice. I talked a little about it   
to Bill when I returned the car. He says she's already   
developing the super-hearing. At least he thinks so. She   
needs to know how to control her powers so she won't   
accidentally hurt someone."  
  
"Oh." Lois looked sober. "I guess there's going to be more   
turning up, huh?"  
  
"Probably. The New Kryptonians were here for eight days.   
Not every...assault would have resulted in a baby and some   
of those that did wouldn't have been carried to term. I   
doubt we'll be dealing with hundreds of half-Kryptonians   
here. I think we're going to find a few more in Metropolis   
and probably some in Smallville. Maybe a dozen or so. It'll   
keep us busy for a while, but it's nothing we can't   
handle."  
  
"I guess we should have seen this coming," Lois said. "It's   
funny that I never even thought of it. I guess it's just as   
well that we have a few people who can help us."  
  
"Yeah. Don't blame yourself. I never saw it, either, and I   
should have. I wish Bill had told us about Valerie, but I   
understand why he didn't." Clark turned his head. "Speaking   
of which, his car just pulled up."  
  
A moment later, the doorbell rang. When Clark opened the   
door, Bill Henderson stood on the porch, accompanied by a   
tiny, dark-haired woman, dressed in a rumpled business   
suit. Except for her eyes, she bore no resemblance at all   
to her daughter, but Henderson stood back to let her enter   
the townhouse ahead of him. "Lois, Clark, this is Carolyn   
Abernathy, Linda's mother. Ms. Abernathy, these are Lois   
Lane and Clark Kent."  
  
As young as Linda was, she was already almost her mother's   
height, Lois thought, as she acknowledged Henderson's   
introduction and led their guests into the living room.   
Linda must take after her father, whoever he'd been. The   
chances were she'd never seen him--or maybe she had. Nor's   
followers had not been that numerous, and she'd been around   
them for several days. Clark had said that the child   
somehow looked familiar, and Lois, too, had experienced the   
same feeling when she'd seen Linda Lennox for the first   
time, though she couldn't pin the feeling down.  
  
When they had taken seats, Clark made a quick trip into the   
kitchen to return with the coffeepot and a tray of cups.   
Lois knew for a fact that there had been no coffee a few   
minutes before, so she had to assume he'd somehow managed   
to produce it at super-speed. "Coffee, anyone?" he   
inquired.  
  
Henderson glanced at his watch. "Yeah, I'll have one," he   
said. "It's nearly eleven-thirty. Where are the kids?   
Asleep?"  
  
"No." Lois glanced at her watch as well, surprised at the   
lateness of the hour. "None of them would be able to sleep   
a wink until they unwind a bit. I've got them watching a   
videotape guaranteed to calm them down before I put them to   
bed. Tomorrow's the first day of Christmas vacation, so I   
figured we could make an exception just this once."  
  
Henderson nodded. "I can relate to that. I gave Ms.   
Abernathy a quick run-through on what happened. What she   
had to say clears up a few things."  
  
Clark poured coffee for both of them, and handed Lois a cup   
of mint tea that he'd made for her, then sat down next to   
her on the sofa. "I see. Ms. Abernathy, I'm sorry about   
your husband."  
  
Carolyn took a sip of coffee. "Don't be. Ben was--" She   
broke off and took another swallow. "Ben stopped being the   
man I loved a long time ago. He couldn't accept Linda; he   
hated her. We haven't been a family for a long time."  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Lois looked at Bill   
Henderson, who had married the woman he loved and accepted   
her daughter in spite of what had happened. For all the   
cynical image he tried to present to the world, this simply   
reaffirmed her already high opinion of him, although she   
would never admit it to him out loud.  
  
"He tried to hand her over to Bureau 39," Clark said.   
"Didn't he know what they'd do to her? They would have   
killed her, just like they tried to kill Superman. Surely,   
he wouldn't have wanted that."   
  
Carolyn nodded, and Lois realized her hands were shaking slightly.   
  
"He must have known, but he didn't care. To him, she was   
a *thing*, because she wasn't all human. He must have seen   
the opportunity to get rid of her." She swallowed. "I should   
have known I couldn't trust him. Mr. Henderson says she   
wasn't hurt. She *is* all right, isn't she?"  
  
"She's fine," Lois said. "All of them are, although from   
what Superman told me, Private Houston may never be the   
same again."  
  
"He's lucky he's not singing soprano," Henderson said,   
dryly. "Their daughter kicked him in a pretty delicate   
area. I hope Marta never gets mad at me, Lois. That girl of   
yours is a small tiger."  
  
Clark grinned, proudly. "Just like her mom."  
  
"I didn't send her to karate so she could learn to make   
brownies," Lois said.  
  
Carolyn gave a soft laugh. "Good for her," she said. She   
finished the coffee, and without asking, Clark poured her   
another cup.  
  
"So, that explains why Bureau 39 was involved," Henderson   
said. "Superman volunteered to help teach Linda how to   
control her powers when they appear, so she won't   
accidentally hurt someone, Ms. Abernathy. I think that's a   
wise idea. But first, she needs to be told why."  
  
"I know." Carolyn sighed. "I kept hoping it wouldn't   
happen, that she'd be like everyone else and I'd never have   
to, but she isn't going to be, is she?"  
  
"No," Henderson said. "I'm sorry."  
  
"I'll ask Superman to drop by your place sometime next   
week, if you like," Clark said.  
  
"I'd appreciate that."  
  
"Would you like me to call her?" Lois asked.  
  
Before Carolyn Abernathy could reply, Linda appeared in the   
door and ran to her mother. Lois saw that Clark was smiling   
as Carolyn hugged her.  
  
"Mom!" Linda said when Carolyn released her, "I'm so glad   
you're here! I want you to meet CJ! He rescued us!"  
  
"Who's CJ?" Carolyn asked, looking slightly bewildered.  
  
"Our son," Lois said. "She's right--he did help."  
  
Carolyn nodded. "I'd like to meet your friend, honey," she   
said, "then I think we should go home. You can tell me all   
about what happened, then. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Linda said. "CJ's really cool, Mom, and his sister,   
Marta's teaching me to play Tetris VI, and even Wyatt's   
okay." Lois struggled to keep her expression bland at   
Linda's sudden burst of excited chatter. The child   
certainly wasn't shy, now. In fact, once she smiled, she   
was actually a pretty girl. Maybe CJ wasn't as blinded by   
his new crush as Clark had thought.  
  
CJ entered the room slowly, and allowed Linda to introduce   
him to her mother. He was, Lois noticed, on his best   
behavior; he politely shook Carolyn's hand and gave her his   
father's charming smile, but the look he turned on Linda   
while they were saying good night told Lois everything she   
had wondered about. With a slight sinking feeling, she   
glanced at Clark. He raised an eyebrow, but she pretended   
not to understand the expression on his face. Okay, so he'd   
been right about their son and Linda Lennox. It was going   
to take her a little time to get used to the idea that in   
eight or ten years, this little girl would probably be her   
daughter-in-law. She wasn't quite ready to face that yet.   
They were still kids! Darn Kryptonian biology anyway!  
  
**********  
  
Marta was waiting for CJ when he returned to the playroom.   
The videotape had finished while he had been saying goodbye   
to Linda, and Jonny and Jimmy were looking sleepy, although   
both resisted vigorously the suggestion by Wyatt that they   
should go to bed.  
  
"All right," she said. "You promised to explain how you got   
to that house. And what were you and Wyatt doing after we   
went into the attic!"  
  
"I hid in the trunk of their car," CJ said. "I had Mom's   
cell phone, and called Mr. Henderson for help. I didn't   
want you to stay locked up there; I was afraid they'd hurt   
you before Mr. Henderson got there, so I got you out. That   
was all there was to it."  
  
"How did you find us?"  
  
"Your door was the only one with a guard in front of it."  
  
"How did you get rid of the guard?"  
  
CJ sighed. "I got him to chase me and shut him in a closet.   
Anything else?"  
  
Marta blinked at him, obviously surprised at the story.   
"What were you and Wyatt doing, anyway?"  
  
CJ looked at Wyatt. "That creepy colonel had some   
Kryptonite. We were trying to get it away from him in case   
Superman showed up--which he did."  
  
"Oh--but how did you know he had it?"  
  
"I saw it. What is this--the third degree?"  
  
"Okay, kids, bedtime," his mom's voice announced clearly.   
CJ looked over his shoulder in relief. He was starting to   
feel thoroughly cornered by his sister's inquisitiveness.  
  
"But, Mom--" Jonny whined, "I don't want to go to bed. I'm   
not tired."  
  
"Move it," Lois said, unimpressed by her offspring's   
protest. "You too, Jimmy; you're asleep on your feet.   
Marta, quit pestering CJ. He's had enough for one evening.   
Go on to bed, now. Your dad and I will be in to say good   
night in a few minutes."  
  
"How about CJ?" Marta asked, a little resentfully, "I don't   
see why he gets to stay up just because he's a year older."  
  
"He and Wyatt are headed for bed as soon as your dad and I   
talk to him," Lois said. "CJ, would you and Wyatt come   
downstairs for a few minutes, please?"  
  
CJ gulped. Mom and Dad had never spanked him in his life,   
but in the back of his mind, he recalled what Bill   
Henderson had said. Still, maybe he better not jump to   
conclusions. He went out of the playroom and down the steps   
with Wyatt on his heels. Behind him, he heard his mother   
speaking to his younger siblings, sending them off to brush   
their teeth before bedtime.  
  
His father was sitting on the sofa with his feet on the   
coffee table as CJ had seen him do many times, only to   
remove them guiltily when Mom pointed out that his shoes   
were going to ruin the varnish. So far, the varnish   
remained intact but CJ thought it was funny the way his mom   
could boss around Superman the way she did--not that Dad   
ever seemed to mind. He turned his head as CJ and Wyatt   
entered the room and smiled reassuringly at them.  
  
"Don't look so worried," he said, mildly. "You're not in   
any trouble. Come on in and sit down."  
  
CJ obeyed, and Wyatt settled on the ottoman of the nearest   
armchair. Clark smiled at them.  
  
"You two had quite an evening," he said. "Superman told me   
what you did. I'm impressed."  
  
"Thanks," CJ muttered. "We couldn't do much else, really."  
  
"You could have, but you didn't," Lois said, entering the   
room behind them. "Although, how I'm going to explain it   
all to Wyatt's mom and dad when they get back from Las   
Vegas is something I'm not looking forward to."  
  
"You didn't do anything," Wyatt protested. "That weirdo   
colonel did. Besides, nobody got hurt."  
  
"That's true," Lois said. "Anyway, that's for the future.   
CJ explained that he told you where he came from, Wyatt."  
  
Wyatt nodded. Clark leaned forward. "You understand that   
you mustn't tell anyone, don't you--not even your mom and   
dad, or your brothers and sisters?"  
  
"Sure, I know," Wyatt said. "I don't want anybody to try to   
hurt any of you guys. If somebody bad found out, they might   
try to make CJ do bad stuff for them, once he's got powers   
like Superman."  
  
"That's exactly it, Wyatt," Lois said. "The more people who   
know, the more likely it is that somebody will accidentally   
tell somebody else, so you have to keep this a secret. You   
can't even tell Marta or the others, yet. Okay?"  
  
Wyatt nodded. "Sure, I know," he said. "I promise. I won't   
tell anybody."  
  
"Thank you, Wyatt," Clark said. "Tomorrow Superman's coming   
by to take CJ off somewhere to see how his powers are   
coming along--he said you could come if you wanted. Would   
you like to?"  
  
"Sure! That would be cool!"  
  
"Okay, then." Clark got to his feet. "That's all we wanted   
to talk about. You guys did a good job, and we're proud of   
both of you. You better head for bed, now, though. It's   
past midnight."  
  
"'Night, Dad," CJ said. "G'night, Mom."  
  
"Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Kent," Wyatt said.  
  
"Good night, boys," CJ's father said. "Don't forget to   
brush your teeth."  
  
"We won't," the boys chorused.  
  
CJ headed for the stairs. He didn't feel in the least   
tired, but he could see that Wyatt was yawning. It was   
funny; he ought to have nightmares tonight, but he didn't   
think he would. He felt pretty good about the whole thing,   
really.  
  
"First dibs on the bathroom," Wyatt announced.  
  
"No problem," CJ said. He went on into the bedroom to   
change into his pajamas while Wyatt headed for the main   
bathroom. A few minutes later, CJ could hear him vigorously   
brushing his teeth. He grinned, suddenly. He could see a   
lot of new things happening in the next few months, and a   
future filled with possibilities--telling Wyatt the whole   
secret in a few years, seeing Linda again and helping her   
learn to use her super powers. He pulled on his favorite   
pajamas--the ones with the Batman logo on the front--and   
was waiting a few minutes later when Wyatt emerged from the   
bathroom with a dab of toothpaste on his chin and his face   
washed to just in front of his ears. His friend looked up   
at him, a questioning expression on his face.  
  
"What are you grinning about?"  
  
"Nothing," CJ said. He went on into the bathroom to brush   
his teeth, unable to stop smiling. It was going to be a   
great Christmas, and a great new year. He could just feel   
it.  
  
The End 


End file.
